Shloka 1
प्रतीप–गङ्गा संवादः तथा शंतनु–गङ्गा विवाहशर्तिः
Pratīpa and Gaṅgā; Śaṃtanu’s marriage condition
अपड-४#-रू- - “बल' शब्दका अर्थ यहाँ कौआ किया गया है; जो 'स्थौल्यसामर्थ्यसैन्येषु बलं ना काकसीरिणो:' अमरकोषके इस वाक्यसे समर्थित होता है। एकनवतितमो<ध्याय: ययाति और अष्टकका आश्रमधर्मसम्बन्धी संवाद अद्टक उवाच चरन् गृहस्थ: कथमेति धर्मान् कथं भिक्षु: कथमाचार्यकर्मा | वानप्रस्थ: सत्पथे संनिविष्टो बहून्यस्मिन् सम्प्रति वेदयन्ति,अष्टकने पूछा--महाराज! वेदज्ञ विद्वान् इस धर्मके अन्तर्गत बहुत-से कर्मोंको उत्तम लोकोंकी प्राप्तिका द्वार बताते हैं; अतः मैं पूछता हूँ, आचार्यकी सेवा करनेवाला ब्रह्मचारी, गृहस्थ, सन्मार्गमें स्थित वानप्रस्थ और संन्यासी किस प्रकार धर्माचरण करके उत्तम लोकमें जाता है?
aṣṭaka uvāca | caran gṛhasthaḥ katham eti dharmān kathaṁ bhikṣuḥ katham ācāryakarmā | vānaprasthaḥ satpathe saṁniviṣṭo bahūny asmin samprati vedayanti ||
Aṣṭaka said: “How does a householder, living in the world, attain the fruits of dharma? How does a mendicant? How does the student who serves his teacher? And how does the forest-dweller, firmly established on the good path? In this matter, the learned expound many duties as gateways to higher worlds—therefore I ask: by what manner of righteous conduct do these different ways of life lead one to the blessed realms?”
अद्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key dharma inquiry: different life-stages (student-service, householdership, forest-life, and mendicancy) each have distinct disciplines, yet all can become valid means to spiritual merit and higher realms when rightly practised.
In the Adi Parva dialogue, Aṣṭaka respectfully questions the king-sage (contextually Yayāti in this chapter) about how various āśrama-based ways of life should be lived so that they lead to auspicious worlds, since learned authorities describe many duties within this topic.