Shloka 1
प्रजापतयः देवगणाश्च दिशि-दिशि स्थिताः ऋषयः
Prajāpatis, Deva-Groups, and the Ṛṣis Assigned to the Directions
/ ऑपनआक्रात बछ। ््ज्स::ः:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kiṃ phalaṃ jñānayogasya vedānāṃ niyamasya ca | bhūtātmā ca kathaṃ jñeyas tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Avô, qual é o fruto da disciplina do yoga do conhecimento, dos Vedas e das observâncias védicas como o agnihotra? E como pode ser verdadeiramente conhecido o Eu interior que habita em todos os seres? Peço-te que me digas.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central inquiry of Śānti Parva: whether ritual observance and scriptural study culminate in a higher fruit, and how that culmination is fulfilled through direct knowledge of the indwelling Self (bhūtātmā). It sets up the primacy of inner realization as the measure of religious practice.
In the post-war instruction of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches the revered elder Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha) with a philosophical question. He asks for the results of jñānayoga, Vedic learning, and prescribed rites, and requests guidance on realizing the Self present in all beings.