Shloka 1
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
ऑपन- मा बछ। अि<--छऋाज सप्तविशत्यधिकद्धिशततमो< ध्याय: इन्द्र और बलिका संवाद--काल और प्रारब्धकी महिमाका वर्णन युधिष्ठिर उदाच मग्नस्य व्यसने कृच्छे कि श्रेय: पुरुषस्य हि । बन्धुनाशे महीपाल राज्यनाशे5थवा पुन:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | magnasya vyasane kṛcchre kiṃ śreyaḥ puruṣasya hi | bandhunāśe mahīpāla rājyānāśe ’thavā punaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó rei, quando um homem afundou na calamidade e em severa aflição—quando seus parentes pereceram, ou quando, ainda, seu reino foi perdido—que caminho conduz verdadeiramente ao seu bem-estar? Peço-te que me digas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: in extreme loss—family destroyed or sovereignty lost—one should seek śreyas, the truly beneficial path, implying guidance that prioritizes ethical and spiritual welfare over mere recovery of power or possessions.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Bhīṣma for instruction, asking what a person should do when overwhelmed by disaster such as the death of relatives or the loss of a kingdom, setting up Bhīṣma’s counsel on time, destiny, and right conduct.