Shloka 2
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च लोकवृत्ति: समाहिता । तेषां गरीयान् कतमो मध्यम: को लघुश्न कः,“'लोगोंकी प्रवृत्ति प्राय: धर्म, अर्थ और कामकी ओर होती है। इन तीनोंमें कौन सबसे श्रेष्ठ कौन मध्यम और कौन लघु है?”
dharme cārthe ca kāme ca lokavṛttiḥ samāhitā | teṣāṃ garīyān katamo madhyamaḥ ko laghuś ca kaḥ ||
ಧರ್ಮ, ಅರ್ಥ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾಮ—ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಜನರ ಪ್ರವೃತ್ತಿ ಈ ಮೂರರತ್ತಲೇ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಮೂರರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ, ಯಾವುದು ಮಧ್ಯಮ, ಯಾವುದು ಲಘು?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into the hierarchy of the three human aims—dharma, artha, and kāma—inviting a principled evaluation of what should govern human life when these aims compete.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a reflective question typical of the Śānti Parva’s instruction: since people pursue dharma, wealth, and pleasure, the discussion now turns to determining their relative importance—what should be regarded as highest, middling, and lowest.