Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
उत्तमापद्गतस्यापि यत्र ते वर्तते मन: । मनुष्यलोके सर्वस्मिन् यदमुत्रेह चाप्युत,बड़ी-से-बड़ी आपत्तिमें पड़नेपर भी आपका मन किनका स्मरण किये बिना नहीं रहता? तथा इस समस्त मानवलोक और परलोकमें हितकारक क्या है? ये सब बातें बतानेकी कृपा करें
uttamāpadgatasya api yatra te vartate manaḥ | manuṣyaloke sarvasmin yad amutra iha ca apy uta ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Aun cuando sobreviene la calamidad más grave, ¿a quién no deja jamás de recordar tu mente? Y en todo este mundo de los hombres —y también en el más allá—, ¿qué es lo verdaderamente beneficioso? Te ruego que me lo digas todo.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: in extreme adversity, the most reliable refuge is the object of unwavering remembrance, and true welfare must be assessed across both this life and the hereafter—i.e., by enduring ethical and spiritual benefit rather than momentary gain.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance on dharma, asks a revered interlocutor to explain (1) whom one should keep in mind even in the worst crisis and (2) what constitutes genuine good for humans both in this world and beyond.