Shloka 1
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
ऑपन--माज बछ। अि>-छऋाज एकविशो< ध्याय: अष्टावक्र और उत्तरदिशाका संवाद
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | na bibheti kathaṃ sā strī śāpāc ca paramadyuteḥ | kathaṃ nivṛtto bhagavāṃs tad bhavān prabravītu me ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô aïeul d’un éclat suprême, comment cette femme n’a-t-elle pas craint la malédiction du sage d’une radiance incomparable ? Et comment le vénérable Aṣṭāvakra est-il revenu de là ? Je t’en prie, dis-moi tout.»
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into fear, accountability, and the moral weight of ascetic speech: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks to understand how one remains unshaken before a powerful curse and how a revered sage concludes his encounter—implying that inner steadiness and right conduct matter even amid extraordinary spiritual power.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to continue the account connected with Aṣṭāvakra: he wants details on why an unnamed woman did not fear a great sage’s curse and how Aṣṭāvakra departed/returned from that place, requesting Bhīṣma’s authoritative explanation.