Shloka 6
Adhyāya 55 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hesitation and Bhīṣma’s Authorization of Inquiry
Rājadharma Prelude
सम्बन्धिनो5तिथीन् भृत्यान् संश्रितांश्वैव यो भृूशम् । सम्मानयति सत्कृत्य स मां पृच्छतु पाण्डव:,“जो सम्बन्धियों, अतिथियों, भृत्यों तथा शरणागतोंका सदा सत्कारपूर्वक विशेष सम्मान करते हैं, वे पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिर मुझसे प्रश्न करें
vaishampāyana uvāca | sambandhino ’tithīn bhṛtyān saṁśritāṁś caiva yo bhṛśam | sammānayati satkṛtya sa māṁ pṛcchatu pāṇḍavaḥ ||
ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಬಂಧುಗಳು, ಅತಿಥಿಗಳು, ಭೃತ್ಯರು ಮತ್ತು ಶರಣಾಗತರನ್ನು ಸದಾ ಸತ್ಕರಿಸಿ ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಗೌರವಿಸುವವನು—ಆ ಪಾಂಡವನು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಪ್ರಶ್ನಿಸಲಿ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal: a righteous person—especially a ruler—must actively honor and care for four groups central to social order: relatives, guests, dependents/servants, and those who seek refuge. True virtue is shown through respectful hospitality (satkāra) and protection, not merely through words.
Vaiśampāyana frames Yudhiṣṭhira as qualified to inquire further because of his established conduct—his consistent honoring of relations, guests, servants, and the sheltered. It functions as a transition into instruction: the worthy questioner is identified by his practice of dharma.