Shloka 1
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
षड्विशवत्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: विष्णु
Bhīṣma uvāca: kena te ca bhavet prītiḥ? kathaṃ tuṣṭiṃ tu gacchasi? iti pṛṣṭaḥ surendreṇa provāca Harir Īśvaraḥ.
ビーシュマは語った。「いかなる行いによって御心は喜び、いかにして真に御満足を得られるのでしょうか。」神々の王スレーンドラ（インドラ）にこのように問われて、ハリ—至上の主—は答えた。（ビーシュマはユディシュティラに、かつてインドラがヴィシュヌに“いかなる行為が御心にかなうのか”と問うた古い逸話を語り、ダルマの微妙なる奥義の教えへと導く。）
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: what kinds of actions and inner dispositions genuinely please the Divine. It sets up the principle that dharma is not merely ritual performance but the right conduct and intention that lead to divine approval and moral order.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhishthira, recalls an ancient dialogue: Indra asks Vishnu how Vishnu is pleased and satisfied. The verse functions as the opening to Vishnu’s forthcoming explanation of the subtle ‘secret’ of dharma.