Shloka 5
अधर्मान्मुच्यते केन धर्ममाप्नोति वा कथम् | स्वर्ग पुण्यं च लभते कथं भरतसत्तम
adharmān mucyate kena dharmam āpnoti vā katham | svargaṁ puṇyaṁ ca labhate kathaṁ bharatasattama ||
யுதிஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—ஓ பரதசிரேஷ்டரே, எந்த வழியால் மனிதன் அதர்மத்திலிருந்து விடுபடுகிறான்? எவ்வாறு தர்மத்தை அடைகிறான்? எவ்வாறு சுவர்க்கமும் புண்ணியமும் பெறுகிறான்?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the central ethical inquiry of the Anuśāsana Parva: the practical means to abandon adharma and establish oneself in dharma, and how right conduct yields puṇya and the fruit of svarga. It sets up a discussion of moral causality—actions and character leading to spiritual and social outcomes.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance after the great war, asks an elder/authority figure (addressed as “best of the Bharatas”) for instruction on the path from wrongdoing to righteousness and the attainment of merit and heaven. The verse functions as a formal question introducing a didactic response.