Shloka 5
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
यथा55ख्यातमावसत: कुट॒म्बे पुरा कस्मात् साधुविलोपमात्थ । अस्मिन् विधौ वर्तमाने यथाव- दुच्चावचा मतयो ब्राह्मणानाम्,संजय! तुम यह अच्छी तरह जानते हो कि मुझसे और युधिष्छिरसे धर्मका लोप नहीं हो सकता, तो भी जो उत्साहपूर्वक स्वधर्मका पालन करते हैं तथा शास्त्रोंमें जैसा बताया गया है, उसके अनुसार ही कुट॒म्ब (गृहस्थाश्रम)-में रहते हैं, उन्हीं पाण्डुकुमार युधिष्ठिरके धर्मलोपकी चर्चा या आशंका तुमने पहले किस आधारपर की है? गृहस्थ आश्रममें रहनेकी जो शास्त्रोक्त विधि है, उसके होते हुए भी इसके ग्रहण अथवा त्यागके विषयमें वेदज्ञ ब्राह्मणोंके भिन्न-भिन्न विचार हैं
yathā khyātam āvasataḥ kuṭumbe purā kasmāt sādhu-vilopam āttha | asmin vidhau vartamāne yathāvad uccāvacā matayo brāhmaṇānām, sañjaya ||
Vāyu said: “Sañjaya, you know well that neither I nor Yudhiṣṭhira can fall away from dharma. Why then, earlier, did you speak of the ‘loss of virtue’ in the case of Yudhiṣṭhira—on what grounds did you raise such a suspicion—when he lives in the household order exactly as the tradition prescribes? Even while this scriptural rule for the householder stands in force, learned Brāhmaṇas hold differing opinions about accepting it or renouncing it.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes Yudhiṣṭhira’s unwavering commitment to dharma and highlights that even when a scriptural rule exists (here, the householder’s discipline), learned authorities may still disagree about its adoption or renunciation—showing the complexity of applying dharma in lived life.
Vāyudeva addresses Sañjaya and challenges him for having earlier suggested a possible lapse of dharma in Yudhiṣṭhira. Vāyu argues that Yudhiṣṭhira follows the prescribed householder conduct, and notes that debates among Brāhmaṇas about household life versus renunciation can lead to differing judgments.