Shloka 3
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
महानयं धर्मपथो बहुशाखश्न भारत | किंस्विदेवेह धर्माणामनुछ्ठेयतमं मतम्
mahān ayaṃ dharmapatho bahuśākhaś ca bhārata | kiṃ svid eveha dharmāṇām anuṣṭheyatamaṃ matam ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Oh Bhārata, este sendero del dharma es vasto y tiene muchas ramas. En este mundo, ¿cuál de los deberes se considera el más digno de ser practicado?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as vast and multi-branched, and raises the central ethical problem of prioritization: among many legitimate duties, which is the most essential to practice in lived life.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira—seeking clarity after the war—asks his teacher/interlocutor to identify the foremost practicable dharma amid the many forms and branches of righteous conduct.