Shloka 2
सान्त्व-निति: (Sāntva-Nīti) — The One-Word Principle of Conciliation
शक्र उवाच कि स्विदेकपदं ब्रह्मन् पुरुष: सम्यगाचरन् । प्रमाणं सर्वभूतानां यशश्रैवाप्रुयान्महत्
śakra uvāca: kiṁ svid ekapadaṁ brahman puruṣaḥ samyag ācaran | pramāṇaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ yaśaś caivāpnuyān mahat ||
Шакра (Индра) спросил: «О брахман, что это за однословный принцип, который, если человек правильно ему следует, делает его мерилом для всех существ и дарует ему великую славу?»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: there exists a concise, single-term virtue whose proper practice makes a person exemplary (pramāṇa) to all beings and brings lasting renown. It emphasizes that true fame is grounded in right conduct rather than power or status.
Indra (Śakra) addresses a brahmin/sage and asks a pointed question: identify the ‘one-word’ principle that, when lived correctly, makes one beloved and authoritative among creatures and yields great fame. The verse sets up a didactic response about a central moral virtue.