Shloka 1

Devanagari script

(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके २६ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ८० श्लोक हैं) ऑपनआक्रात बा अर: 2 त्रयोदशो< ध्याय: शरीर, वाणी और मनसे होनेवाले पापोंके परित्यागका उपदेश युधिछिर उवाच कि कर्तव्यं मनुष्येण लोकयात्राहितार्थिना । कथं वै लोकयात्रां तु किंशीलश्ष समाचरेत्‌,युधिष्ठिरे पूछा--पितामह! लोकयात्राका भली-भाँति निर्वाह करनेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले मनुष्यको क्या करना चाहिये? कैसा स्वभाव बनाकर किस प्रकार लोकमें जीवन बिताना चाहिये?

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kiṃ kartavyaṃ manuṣyeṇa lokayātrāhitārthinā? kathaṃ vai lokayātrāṃ tu kiṃśīlaḥ samācaret?

Translation

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు—పితామహా! లోకయాత్రకు హితం కోరే మనిషి ఏమి చేయాలి? ఏ స్వభావాన్ని పెంపొందించుకొని, ఏ విధమైన ఆచరణతో లోకంలో జీవించాలి?

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

किम्what

कर्तव्यम्to be done; duty

मनुष्येणby a man; by a human

लोकयात्राworldly life; conduct in society

हितार्थिनाdesiring welfare/benefit

कथम्how

वैindeed

लोकयात्राम्worldly life; social living

तुbut; and

किम्what

शीलःof what character; having what disposition

समाचरेत्should practice; should conduct oneself

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (implied by address ‘pitāmaha’/Grandsire)

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 frames an ethical inquiry: a person who wants to sustain worldly life rightly should ask what duties to perform and what character to cultivate—placing conduct (ācāra) and disposition (śīla) at the center of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance after the war, addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Grandsire’ and asks for instruction on proper worldly conduct—how to live so that one’s life and society are maintained in a beneficial way.