Shloka 1

मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः

Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature

Devanagari script

7-2 ड-ऑ का - तात्पर्य यह कि भोजनके लिये जाते समय तत्काल हाथ

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: adhyātma nāma yad idaṃ puruṣasyeha cintyate | yad adhyātmaṃ yathā caitat tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||

Translation

ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਪਿਤਾਮਹ! ਇੱਥੇ ਪੁਰਖ ਦੇ ਸੰਬੰਧ ਵਿੱਚ ‘ਅਧਿਆਤਮ’ ਨਾਮ ਨਾਲ ਜਿਸ ਅੰਦਰੂਨੀ ਤੱਤ ਦਾ ਚਿੰਤਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਅਧਿਆਤਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਸਮਝਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ—ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦੱਸੋ।

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'adhyātma': 'the inner self

• pertaining to the Self', 'nāma': 'called

• by the name of', 'yat': 'that which

• what', 'idam': 'this', 'puruṣasya': 'of a person

• of the embodied being', 'iha': 'here (in this context/world)', 'cintyate': 'is thought about

• is reflected upon', 'yad adhyātmam': 'what (exactly) is adhyātma', 'yathā': 'how

• in what manner', 'ca': 'and', 'etat': 'this (matter/teaching)', 'tat': 'that', 'me': 'to me', 'brūhi': 'tell

• explain', 'pitāmaha': 'grandfather (Bhīṣma)'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces an inquiry into adhyātma—inner or spiritual knowledge—framing it as something to be contemplated with respect to the human person, and requesting a clear definition and method of understanding from an authoritative elder.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Bhīṣma as a teacher and asks him to explain the doctrine of adhyātma: what it is and how it should be comprehended.