Shloka 1
शुकस्य मिथिलागमनम् (Śukasya Mithilāgamanam) — Śuka’s Journey to Mithilā and the Courtly Test
अपन कराता बछ। अं क्ाजज द्वादर्शाधिकत्रिशततमो< ध्याय: संहारक्रमका वर्णन याज़्वल्क्य उवाच तत्त्वानां सर्वसंख्या च कालसंख्या तथैव च । मया प्रोक्ता5<नुपूर्व्येण संहारमपि मे शूणु,याज्ञवल्क्यजी कहते हैं--राजन्! अब मेरेद्वारा क्रमशः: बतायी हुई तत्त्वोंकी सम्पूर्ण संख्या, कालसंख्या तथा तत्त्वोंके संहारकी वार्ता सुनो
Yājñavalkya uvāca: tattvānāṁ sarva-saṅkhyā ca kāla-saṅkhyā tathaiva ca | mayā proktā anupūrvyena saṁhāram api me śṛṇu ||
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Wahai Raja, sekarang dengarlah ketika aku menghuraikan—selangkah demi selangkah—jumlah keseluruhan prinsip-prinsip asas (tattva), perhitungan masa, dan juga kisah bagaimana prinsip-prinsip itu ditarik kembali dalam pembubaran. Dengarlah ajaran ini daripadaku.”
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a structured exposition: the sage will explain (1) the full count of fundamental principles (tattvas), (2) the measure and hierarchy of time (kāla-saṅkhyā), and (3) the process of dissolution (saṁhāra) in which these principles are withdrawn—framing a cosmological and philosophical teaching meant to guide right understanding.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and signals a transition into a systematic discourse. He asks the king to listen as he proceeds in order through enumerations and the doctrine of cosmic withdrawal, indicating that the next section will be technical and sequential.