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 ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô Bhārata, la voie du dharma est immense et porte de nombreuses branches. En ce monde, parmi les devoirs, lequel tient-on pour le plus digne d’être accompli ?»
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.