Shloka 1
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā, Haviḥ-dāna, and the Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī Saṃvāda
Chapter 34
ऑपन--माज बछ। जि एकत्रिशो< ध्याय: नारदजीके द्वारा पूजनीय पुरुषोंके लक्षण तथा उनके आदर-सत्कार और पूजनसे प्राप्त होनेवाले लाभका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच के पूज्या वै त्रिलोकेडस्मिन् मानवा भरतर्षभ । विस्तरेण तदाचक्ष्व न हि तृप्पामि कथ्यत:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | Pūjyā vai triloke 'smin mānavā Bharatarṣabha | Vistareṇa tad ācakṣva na hi tṛpyāmi kathyataḥ ||
युधिष्ठिर उवाच— भरतर्षभ! त्रिलोकेऽस्मिन् मानवा: के के पूज्या भवन्ति? तद् विस्तरेण मे ब्रूहि; कथ्यमानं श्रुत्वापि नाहं तृप्यामि।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dharma: identifying who truly deserves honor and reverence, implying that respect should be grounded in virtue and right conduct rather than mere status.
Yudhiṣṭhira, eager to learn, asks a revered interlocutor addressed as ‘Bharatarṣabha’ to explain in detail which people across the three worlds are considered worthy of worship and honor, signaling the start of a didactic exposition.