Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra
व्यास उवाच धर्म ते सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि पुराणमृषिभि: कृतम् । विशिष्ट सर्वधर्मेभ्यस्तमिहैकमना: शूणु,व्यासजीने कहा--बेटा! मैं ऋषियोंके बताये हुए उस प्राचीन धर्मका, जो सब धर्मोंसे श्रेष्ठ है, तुमसे यहाँ वर्णन करता हूँ, एकाग्रचित्त होकर सुनो
vyāsa uvāca | dharmaṁ te sampravakṣyāmi purāṇam ṛṣibhiḥ kṛtam | viśiṣṭaṁ sarva-dharmebhyaḥ tam ihaika-manāḥ śṛṇu |
Vyāsa berkata: Kini aku akan menghuraikan kepadamu Dharma purba, yang disusun dan diwariskan oleh para resi. Ia lebih unggul daripada segala tata laku yang lain; maka dengarlah di sini dengan tumpuan satu hati ketika aku menerangkannya kepadamu.
व्यास उवाच
The verse establishes the authority and primacy of an ancient, rishi-founded Dharma and urges the listener to receive it with focused attention, implying that ethical understanding requires both reliable tradition and disciplined listening.
Vyāsa begins a formal instruction: he announces that he will explain a venerable, sage-established doctrine of Dharma—presented as superior to other teachings—and calls upon the listener to hear it with single-minded concentration.