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Shloka 1

राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता

Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement

Devanagari script

/ ऑपन-मा_ज छा जज ड:: षट्षष्टितमो<5 ध्याय: राजथधर्मके पालनसे चारों आश्रमोंके धर्मका फल मिलनेका कथन युधिषछ्िर उवाच श्रुता मे कथिता: पूर्वे चत्वारो मानवाश्रमा: । व्याख्यानयित्वा व्याख्यानमेषामाचक्ष्व पृच्छत:,युधिष्ठिर बोले--पितामह! आपने मानवमात्रके लिये जो चार आश्रम पहले बताये थे, वे सब मैंने सुन लिये। अब विस्तारपूर्वक इनकी व्याख्या कीजिये। मेरे प्रश्नके अनुसार इनका स्पष्टीकरण कीजिये

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: śrutā me kathitāḥ pūrve catvāro mānavāśramāḥ | vyākhyānayitvā vyākhyānam eṣām ācakṣva pṛcchataḥ ||

Translation

युधिष्ठिर उवाच—पितामह! पूर्वं यैर्मनुष्याणां चत्वार आश्रमाः कथिताः, तानहं श्रुतवान्। अधुना तेषां विस्तरेण व्याख्यानं कृत्वा मम प्रश्नानुसारं तात्पर्यमाचक्ष्व, स्पष्टीकुरु च।

Word by Word

श्रुताheard

मेto me

कथिताःtold, described

पूर्वेearlier, previously

चत्वारःfour

मानवhuman

आश्रमाःstages of life (āśramas)

व्याख्यानयित्वाhaving explained

व्याख्यानम्explanation

एषाम्of these

आचक्ष्वtell, explain

पृच्छतःof (me) asking / of the questioner

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

mānava-āśramāḥ (the four āśramas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic learning: after hearing a doctrine (the four āśramas), one should seek a careful, detailed clarification so that practice aligns with true meaning.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder teacher (Bhīṣma in context) and requests a fuller exposition of the four āśramas, asking that the explanation follow his specific questions.