Shloka 1
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
ऑपन-मा_ज (_) डे सप्ताशीरत्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: नारदजीका गालव मुनिको श्रेयका उपदेश युधिछिर उवाच अतत्त्वज्ञस्य शास्त्राणां सततं संशयात्मन: | अकृतव्यवसायस्य श्रेयो ब्रूहि पितामह
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | atattvajñasya śāstrāṇāṃ satataṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ | akṛtavyavasāyasya śreyo brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô Grand-Père, dis-moi quel bien véritable (śreyas) peut revenir à un homme qui ne comprend pas le sens profond des Écritures, dont l’esprit est sans cesse assailli par le doute, et qui n’a pris ni résolution ferme ni voie de discipline. Comment un tel homme pourrait-il atteindre le salut et le bien-être ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a prerequisite for śreyas (true welfare): mere exposure to śāstra is insufficient without grasping its essence (tattva), overcoming chronic doubt through discernment, and adopting firm resolve (vyavasāya) in practice. It sets up Bhīṣma’s instruction on how clarity, conviction, and disciplined effort enable ethical and spiritual progress.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance after the war, questions Bhīṣma (lying on the bed of arrows) about dharma and the path to the highest good. Here he asks specifically how a person who lacks true understanding of scripture, remains perpetually doubtful, and has no settled commitment can attain welfare—inviting Bhīṣma’s counsel.