Shloka 1
कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
शीस्स्नश्ना5सस शत भ्रनिध्ररॉभ्राध्स चतुःषष्ट्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: जाजलिको पक्षियोंका उपदेश चुलाधार उवाच सद्धिर्वा यदि वासद्धि पन्थानमिममास्थितम् । प्रत्यक्ष क्रियतां साधु ततो ज्ञास्यसि तद् यथा,तुलाधारने कहा--ब्रह्मन! मैंने धर्मके जिस मार्गका दर्शन कराया है, उसपर सज्जन पुरुष चलते हैं या दुर्जन? इस बातको अच्छी तरह जाँचकर प्रत्यक्ष कर लो। तब तुम्हें इसकी यथार्थताका ज्ञान होगा
Culādhāra uvāca — sādhibhir vā yadi vāsādhibhiḥ panthānam imam āsthitam | pratyakṣaṃ kriyatāṃ sādhu tato jñāsyasi tad yathā ||
चूलाधार उवाच—सद्धिर्वा यदि वासद्धिः पन्थानमिममास्थितम्। प्रत्यक्षं क्रियतां साधु ततो ज्ञास्यसि तद्यथा॥
चुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Culādhāra urges that the worth of a dharmic path should be tested by careful, direct examination—verifying whether it aligns with the conduct of the truly virtuous and stands up to lived, observable reality.
In the Culādhāra–Jājali discourse of Śānti Parva, Culādhāra responds to the brahmin seeker by inviting him to scrutinize the path of dharma being taught, not merely accept it on assertion, and to arrive at certainty through direct assessment.