Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऑपन--मराज बछ। डे द्विपज्चाशर्दाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: इन्द्रोतका जनमेजयको धर्मोपदेश करके उनसे अश्वमेधयज्ञका अनुष्ठान कराना तथा निष्पाप राजाका पुनः अपने राज्यमें प्रवेश शौनक उवाच तस्मात्‌ ते#हं प्रवक्ष्यामि धर्ममावृतचेतसे । श्रीमान्‌ महाबलस्तुष्ट: स्वयं धर्ममवेक्षसे

Transliteration

Śaunaka uvāca: tasmāt te ’haṃ pravakṣyāmi dharmam āvṛta-cetase | śrīmān mahā-balas tuṣṭaḥ svayaṃ dharmam avekṣase ||

Translation

ຊາອຸນະກະ (Śaunaka) ກ່າວວ່າ: “ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະອະທິບາຍທັມ (dharma) ໃຫ້ແກ່ທ່ານ ຜູ້ທີ່ຈິດໃຈຍັງຖືກປົກຄຸມ (ດ້ວຍຄວາມສົງໄສແລະຄວາມໂສກ). ທ່ານເປັນຜູ້ສົງ່າງາມ ມີພະລັງອັນໃຫຍ່ ແລະຈິດໃຈອິ່ມເອີມ; ທ່ານຈະເບິ່ງເຫັນແລະຢືນຢັນດ້ວຍຕົນເອງວ່າ ທັມແທ້ແມ່ນຢ່າງໃດ.”

Word by Word

शौनकःŚaunaka

उवाचsaid

तस्मात्therefore / from that

तेto you

अहम्I

प्रवक्ष्यामिwill explain / will tell

धर्मम्dharma, righteous duty

आवृतचेतसेto (one) whose mind is veiled/confused

श्रीमान्prosperous, illustrious

महाबलःof great strength

तुष्टःpleased, satisfied

स्वयम्yourself

धर्मम्dharma

अवेक्षसेyou observe / you consider

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should be taught to one whose judgment is clouded, yet the listener must ultimately verify it through personal discernment; ethical understanding is both received through instruction and confirmed inwardly.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka begins a didactic section, announcing that he will now explain dharma to his interlocutor, who is mentally burdened, while affirming that the listener—being noble and composed—will be able to recognize the truth of dharma for himself.