Shloka 1
Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)
ऑपन--मा जल बछ। जज: द्विषष्टितमो5 ध्याय: ब्राह्मणधर्म और कर्तव्यपालनका महत्त्व युधिषछ्िर उवाच शिवान् सुखान् महोदर्कानहिंस्राल्लॉकसम्मतान् । ब्रृहि धर्मान् सुखोपायान् मद्विधानां सुखावहान्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
śivān sukhān mahodarkān ahiṃsrān lokasammatān |
brūhi dharmān sukhopāyān madvidhānāṃ sukhāvahān ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Avô, descreve-me aqueles dharmas que são auspiciosos e conduzem à felicidade—que trazem grande benefício no futuro, são isentos de violência, aprovados pelo mundo e praticáveis com facilidade como meios de bem-estar—dharmas que pessoas como eu possam seguir e que realmente concedam felicidade.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira frames dharma as something that should be both ethically sound (non-violent, socially responsible) and practically livable, asking for guidance on duties that reliably produce welfare and happiness over the long term.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira turns to Bhīṣma for instruction and requests a description of auspicious, non-violent, socially endorsed forms of dharma suitable for someone in his position to practice.