Shloka 17
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
कि न गृह्नाति विषयान् युगपच्च महामते । एतावदुच्यतां चोक्तं सर्व पन्नगसत्तम
kiṁ na gṛhṇāti viṣayān yugapac ca mahāmate | etāvad ucyatāṁ coktaṁ sarvaṁ pannagasattama ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó grande sábio, por que ele não apreende os objetos dos sentidos todos de uma vez? Que apenas isto seja dito. Ó melhor das serpentes, tu já explicaste tudo.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into desire and restraint: if sense-objects are available, why not grasp them immediately? The question invites reflection on the limits of enjoyment, the consequences of indulgence, and the dharmic value of self-control over impulsive consumption.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a wise nāga (called ‘best of serpents’) and presses for a concise clarification: he asks why someone does not take all enjoyments at once, then acknowledges that the interlocutor has already explained the matter and requests only the essential point.