Shloka 69
यक्ष उवाच किंस्विदेकपदं धर्म्य किंस्विदेकपर्द यश: । किंस्विदेकपदं स्वर्ग्य किंस्विदेकप्दं सुखम्,यक्षने पूछा--धर्मका मुख्य स्थान क्या है? यशका मुख्य स्थान क्या है? स्वर्गका मुख्य स्थान क्या है? और सुखका मुख्य स्थान क्या है?
yakṣa uvāca: kiṃ svid ekapadaṃ dharmyaṃ? kiṃ svid ekapadaṃ yaśaḥ? kiṃ svid ekapadaṃ svargyaṃ? kiṃ svid ekapadaṃ sukham?
The Yaksha said: “What is that single foundation which makes one truly righteous? What is the single foundation of fame? What is the single foundation that leads to heaven? And what is the single foundation of happiness?”
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry: diverse human aims—righteousness (dharma), reputation (yaśas), heavenly merit (svarga), and happiness (sukha)—may each rest on a single decisive principle. It invites the listener to identify the one root cause or guiding value that sustains these goals.
In the Yaksha–Yudhiṣṭhira episode of the Vana Parva, the Yaksha tests Yudhiṣṭhira through pointed questions. Here the Yaksha asks for the ‘one-word’ or ‘single basis’ behind dharma, fame, heaven, and happiness, probing whether Yudhiṣṭhira can discern the essential foundations of ethical life.