Shloka 16
धर्मसूक्ष्मे त्यागप्रधान्यविचारः
Subtle Dharma and the Primacy of Renunciation
अनुस्मृत्य तु शास्त्राणि कवय: समवस्थिता: । अपीह स्यादपीह स्यात् सारासारदिदृक्षया
anusmṛtya tu śāstrāṇi kavayaḥ samavasthitāḥ | apīha syād apīha syāt sārāsāradidṛkṣayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Para bijak pernah berkumpul; sambil mengingat ajaran-ajaran śāstra berulang-ulang, dan ingin membedakan yang esensial dari yang tak esensial, mereka memulai penyelidikan ini: ‘Adakah hakikat sejati dalam hidup berumah tangga di sini, ataukah hakikat itu justru dalam meninggalkannya?’”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic method: wise people repeatedly consult śāstra and then apply viveka—discerning ‘sāra’ (true value) from ‘asāra’ (mere appearance)—to decide whether worldly duties (gṛhastha life) or renunciation better serves the highest good.
Yudhiṣṭhira reports an archetypal debate: sages gather, recall scriptural authorities, and begin examining a central ethical question—whether the householder’s path contains the real ‘essence’ or whether the essence lies in giving it up.