Shloka 1
Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)
भीकम (2 अमान चतुस्त्रिंशर्दाधेकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: ब्राह्मणोंका कर्तव्य और उन्हें दान देनेकी महिमाका वर्णन व्यास उवाच भूतग्रामे नियुक्त यत् तदेतत् कीर्तितं मया । ब्राह्मणस्य तु यत् कृत्यं तत् ते वक्ष्यामि तच्छूणु
vyāsa uvāca | bhūtagrāme niyuktaṃ yat tad etat kīrtitaṃ mayā | brāhmaṇasya tu yat kṛtyaṃ tat te vakṣyāmi tac chṛṇu ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Wahai anakku! Tentang kelompok makhluk hidup dan tatanan yang ditetapkan bagi mereka, itu telah kujelaskan. Sekarang dengarkan, akan kukatakan kepadamu kewajiban yang semestinya bagi seorang brāhmaṇa.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse marks a transition: after addressing the ordered nature of living beings (bhūtagrāma), Vyāsa begins a focused instruction on brāhmaṇa-dharma—what a brāhmaṇa ought to do as a matter of ethical and social responsibility.
Vyāsa responds to a prior question about beings and their regulation, states that he has already explained it, and then introduces the next topic: the specific duties of a brāhmaṇa, asking the listener to pay attention.