Shloka 9
Āpad-dharma and Discernment in Livelihood (आपद्धर्मे विज्ञानबलम्)
गौतम उवाच मातापितृभ्यामानृण्यं कि कृत्वा समवाप्रुयात् । कथं च लोकानाप्रोति पुरुषो दुर्लभान् शुचीन्
gautama uvāca mātāpitṛbhyām ānṛṇyaṁ kiṁ kṛtvā samavāpnuyāt | kathaṁ ca lokān āpnoti puruṣo durlabhān śucīn ||
Gautama dit : «Seigneur vénérable ! Par quel acte un homme peut-il s’acquitter de la dette envers sa mère et son père ? Et par quel moyen atteint-il ces mondes rares et purs ?»
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma inquiry: human life carries binding obligations—especially to one’s parents—and true ethical living seeks both to repay these foundational debts and to pursue purity that leads to higher spiritual or posthumous attainments.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Gautama addresses a revered interlocutor (implied by “Bhagavan” in the Hindi gloss) and asks for guidance on two linked issues: the concrete acts that discharge one’s duty to parents and the disciplined path by which a person reaches rare, pure realms.