Shloka 1
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
ऑपन-माज बक। अर एकादशाधिकशततमोड< ध्याय: बृहस्पतिका युधिष्ठिरसे प्राणियोंके जन्मके प्रकारका और नानाविध पापोंके फलस्वरूप नरकादिकी प्राप्ति एवं तिर्यग्योनियोंमें जन्म लेनेका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच पितामह महाप्राज्ञ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद । श्रोतुमिच्छामि मर्त्यानां संसारविधिमुत्तमम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada | śrotum icchāmi martyānāṃ saṃsāravidhim uttamam ||
യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പിതാമഹാ! മഹാപ്രാജ്ഞനും സർവ്വശാസ്ത്രവിശാരദനുമായവനേ! മർത്ത്യർ സംസാരയാത്രയെ എങ്ങനെ ഉത്തമമായി നയിക്കണം എന്ന വിധി ഞാൻ കേൾക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as a learnable, śāstra-grounded discipline: the ideal human life in saṃsāra requires guidance from the wise, and Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the ‘uttama vidhi’—the best rule of conduct—to live responsibly amid moral consequences.
At the opening of this section, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully addresses Bhīṣma as the supreme authority on dharma and requests instruction on the proper way humans should live through worldly existence, setting up a longer teaching on births, deeds, and their results.