Shloka 2
Yājñavalkya on the Sources of Dharma and the Saṁskāras of the Twice-Born
हरिरुवाच / याज्ञवल्क्यं नमस्कृत्य मिथिलायां समास्थितम् / अपृच्छन्नॄषयो गत्वा वर्णधर्माद्यशेषतः / तेभ्यः स कथयामास विष्णुं ध्यात्वा जितेन्द्रियः
hariruvāca / yājñavalkyaṃ namaskṛtya mithilāyāṃ samāsthitam / apṛcchannṝṣayo gatvā varṇadharmādyaśeṣataḥ / tebhyaḥ sa kathayāmāsa viṣṇuṃ dhyātvā jitendriyaḥ
Dijo Hari: Tras inclinarse ante Yājñavalkya, que residía en Mithilā, los sabios fueron a él y le preguntaron por completo acerca de los deberes de las castas y de los āśramas, y de todo lo relacionado. Entonces él se lo expuso, meditando en Viṣṇu y con los sentidos plenamente dominados.
Hari (Lord Vishnu)
Concept: Dharma instruction (varna-dharma and related duties) is best delivered by a teacher established in Vishnu-dhyana and indriya-jaya (sense-mastery).
Vedantic Theme: Antahkarana-shuddhi through self-control; dharma as a support for steady contemplation; integration of pravritti (duty) with nivritti (inner restraint).
Application: Before advising others, cultivate personal discipline: regulate senses, maintain a daily meditation practice, and teach duties with impartiality and compassion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: city/kingdom
Related Themes: Garuda Purana’s dharma sections that proceed from social duties to higher devotion; repeated emphasis on jitendriya teachers as authoritative
FAQs
This verse frames varṇa-dharma as a foundational topic of inquiry for sages, presented as comprehensive guidance for righteous living, taught by an authoritative seer (Yājñavalkya).
Indirectly, it establishes that right conduct (dharma) and inner discipline (jitendriya) grounded in Viṣṇu-meditation are prerequisites for higher spiritual outcomes that later teachings on death and afterlife build upon.
Seek guidance from authentic sources, practice self-restraint, and anchor daily duties in remembrance of Viṣṇu—so that ethics and devotion support spiritual clarity.