Shloka 4
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
यो दरिद्रैरपि विधि: शकक्य: प्राप्तुं सदा भवेत् | अर्थन्यूनैरवगुणैरेकात्मभिरसंहतै:
yo daridrair api vidhiḥ śakyaḥ prāptuṁ sadā bhavet | artha-nyūnair avaguṇair ekātmabhir asaṁhataiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Katakanlah kepadaku dharma yang berupa tata laku yang bahkan orang miskin pun selalu dapat menjalaninya—mereka yang kekurangan harta, memiliki kekurangan, namun bertekad satu dan tidak terpecah.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a form of dharma (a practicable rule of conduct) that remains attainable even for the poor and resource-limited—suggesting that true virtue should not depend on wealth, status, or elaborate means.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira poses a question to the teacher figure of the section, asking for guidance about a universally practicable discipline—one that people with little wealth and various shortcomings can still follow.