Shloka 4
मृत्युकारणप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Cause and Designation of Death
उभयं सम्प्रधार्यतदध्यवस्येद् यथामति । अनेनैव विधानेन भवेद् गर्भशयो महान्
ubhayam sampradhārya tad adhyavasyed yathāmati | anenaiva vidhānena bhaved garbhaśayo mahān ||
व्यास ने कहा—इन दोनों मतों पर भलीभाँति विचार करके, अपनी बुद्धि के अनुसार सिद्धान्त का निश्चय करना चाहिए। इसी प्रकार विचारपूर्वक दृढ़ निश्चय करने से बार-बार गर्भ में शयन करने वाला जीव भी महान् हो जाता है॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not accept a position impulsively; after weighing both sides, one must reach a firm conclusion according to one’s best discernment. Such reflective determination is presented as a means of inner growth for the transmigrating self.
Vyāsa is instructing the listener in a didactic context within Śānti Parva, emphasizing a method of inquiry: consider both viewpoints and then decide. The verse frames this disciplined decision-making as spiritually elevating for the being subject to repeated birth.