उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन व्याख्यातुं वै पितामह । सूक्ष्मा गतिर्हिं धर्मस्य यत्र मुहान्ति मानवा:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: etad icchāmi tattvena vyākhyātuṃ vai pitāmaha | sūkṣmā gatir hi dharmasya yatra muhyanti mānavāḥ ||
युधिष्ठिर ने कहा—पितामह! मैं इस विषय को यथार्थ रूप से जानना चाहता हूँ। कृपा करके इसे तत्त्वतः स्पष्ट कीजिए; क्योंकि धर्म की गति अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म है, जिसमें मनुष्य मोहग्रस्त हो जाते हैं।
युधिछिर उवाच
Dharma is not always obvious; its true course can be subtle, so one should seek careful, truthful explanation from a reliable authority before judging right and wrong.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Grandfather’ and requests a precise clarification on a moral issue, acknowledging that people often become confused when trying to determine what dharma requires.