Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
युधिछिर उवाच निःसंशयं निश्चितधर्मशास्त्रा: सर्वे भवन्तो विदितप्रमाणा: । विज्ञातुकामस्य ममेह वाक्य- मुक्त यद्धै नैष्ठिकं तच्छुतं मे । इदं त्ववश्यं गदतो ममापि वाक््यं निबोधध्वमनन्यभावा:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—niḥsaṁśayaṁ niścita-dharmaśāstrāḥ sarve bhavanto vidita-pramāṇāḥ | vijñātukāmasya mameha vākyaṁ yuktā yad dhai naiṣṭhikaṁ tac chrutaṁ me | idaṁ tv avaśyaṁ gadato mamāpi vākyaṁ nibodhadhvam ananya-bhāvāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai saudara-saudaraku! Tanpa ragu, kamu semua telah sampai kepada kesimpulan yang teguh setelah meneliti ajaran Dharmaśāstra, dan kamu juga arif tentang ukuran-ukuran bukti yang berwibawa. Kerana aku ingin mengetahui pandangan kamu, aku telah mendengar dengan teliti setiap doktrin yang telah kamu tetapkan dan bentangkan di sini. Sekarang, dengarlah pula—dengan perhatian yang tidak berbelah bahagi—apa yang aku sendiri akan katakan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Ethical inquiry should be grounded in śāstra and pramāṇa, but it also requires disciplined dialogue: hearing others’ settled views carefully and then presenting one’s own position with clarity, asking the audience for single-minded attention.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses respected interlocutors who have offered their conclusions on dharma. He acknowledges their learning and the validity of their reasoning, states that he has listened, and now requests that they listen attentively as he presents his own view.