Shloka 1
शुकस्य योगसिद्धिः (Śuka’s Yogic Attainment and Ascent)
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका १ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ११३ श्लोक हैं) ऑपन--माजल बछ। अकाल एकोनविशर्त्याधिकॉत्रेशततमो< ध्याय: जरा-मृत्युका उल्लंघन करनेके विषयमें पजचशिख और राजा जनकका संवाद युधिछिर उवाच ऐश्वर्य वा महत् प्राप्प धनं वा भरतर्षभ । दीर्घमायुरवाप्याथ कथं मृत्युमतिक्रमेत्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
aiśvaryaṁ vā mahat prāpya dhanaṁ vā bharatarṣabha |
dīrgham āyur avāpya atha kathaṁ mṛtyum atikramet ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó touro entre os Bharatas, mesmo após alcançar grande soberania, riqueza abundante ou uma vida muito longa, como pode o homem verdadeiramente transpor a morte?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central Śānti Parva inquiry: worldly attainments—power, wealth, even longevity—do not by themselves conquer death. It sets the stage for a dharmic and philosophical response about what, if anything, truly transcends mortality (typically knowledge, detachment, and liberation-oriented practice).
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an honored Bharata elder/interlocutor and asks a pointed question: after achieving the highest worldly successes, by what means can one ‘cross beyond’ death? This initiates a discourse on overcoming fear of death and the pursuit of mokṣa.