Shloka 63
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
एवं यो वर्तते वृत्तिं वर्तमानो गृहाश्रमे । तस्य धर्म परं प्राहुः कथं वा विप्र मन्यसे,ब्रह्मन! जो गृहस्थ इस वृत्तिसे रहता है, उसके लिये उत्तम धर्मकी प्राप्ति बतायी गयी है, अथवा इस विषयमें आपकी क्या सम्मति है?
evaṁ yo vartate vṛttiṁ vartamāno gṛhāśrame | tasya dharma-paraṁ prāhuḥ kathaṁ vā vipra manyase ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If a man, while living in the householder’s stage, conducts himself in this manner and maintains such a livelihood, they declare that for him this is the highest form of dharma. What, O learned brāhmaṇa, is your view on this?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
That righteous conduct and an ethically grounded livelihood within the householder stage can be regarded as the highest dharma, and that such claims should be tested by learned counsel.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a brāhmaṇa interlocutor, summarizing what is said about the supreme merit of a certain householder way of life, and asks the brāhmaṇa to confirm or critique this view.