Shloka 8
Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)
यत् पृथिव्यां पुण्यतमं विद्यात् स्थानं तदावसेत् । यतेत तस्मिन् प्रामाण्यं गन्तुं यशसि चोत्तमे
yat pṛthivyāṃ puṇyatamaṃ vidyāt sthānaṃ tad āvaset | yateta tasmin prāmāṇyaṃ gantuṃ yaśasi cottame ||
Vyāsa dit : « Quel que soit l’endroit sur terre que l’on reconnaisse comme le plus saint et le plus excellent, c’est là qu’il faut demeurer. En vivant en ce lieu même, qu’on s’efforce d’acquérir une autorité véritable et une conduite digne de foi, et d’atteindre la plus haute renommée—devenant un modèle par l’exemplarité de sa vie. »
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Choose a place you truly regard as spiritually and ethically elevating, live there, and cultivate prāmāṇya—trustworthiness and moral authority—so that one’s reputation arises from exemplary conduct rather than mere display.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers practical guidance: residence in a recognized sacred/excellent place should support disciplined effort toward becoming a credible, ideal person and attaining the highest kind of honorable repute.