Shloka 1
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
ऑपनआ कराता बछ। अर: चतुस्त्रिंशो 5 ध्याय: जिन कर्मोके करने और न करनेसे कर्ता प्रायश्षित्तका भागी होता और नहीं होता--उनका विवेचन युधिषछ्िर उवाच कानि कृत्वेह कर्माणि प्रायश्षित्तीयते नर: । कि कृत्वा मुच्यते तत्र तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kāni kṛtveha karmāṇi prāyaścittīyate naraḥ | kiṃ kṛtvā mucyate tatra tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek Agung, perbuatan-perbuatan apa di dunia ini yang membuat seseorang wajib menjalani prāyaścitta (penebusan)? Dan dengan melakukan apa seseorang terbebas dari beban itu? Mohon jelaskan kepadaku.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dharma: which deeds incur moral fault requiring prāyaścitta (expiation), and what conduct or discipline leads to release from that fault. It sets up Bhīṣma’s instruction on responsibility, wrongdoing, and purification.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Bhīṣma as a revered authority and asks for guidance about expiation—what actions make one liable to atonement and how one becomes freed—initiating a discussion on moral and ritual-ethical remedies.