Shloka 1
Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)
भीकम (2 अमान चतुस्त्रिंशर्दाधेकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: ब्राह्मणोंका कर्तव्य और उन्हें दान देनेकी महिमाका वर्णन व्यास उवाच भूतग्रामे नियुक्त यत् तदेतत् कीर्तितं मया । ब्राह्मणस्य तु यत् कृत्यं तत् ते वक्ष्यामि तच्छूणु
vyāsa uvāca | bhūtagrāme niyuktaṃ yat tad etat kīrtitaṃ mayā | brāhmaṇasya tu yat kṛtyaṃ tat te vakṣyāmi tac chṛṇu ||
Wika ni Vyāsa: “Anak, ang itinatanong mo tungkol sa kalipunan ng mga nilalang at sa itinakdang kaayusan nila—naipaliwanag ko na. Ngayon makinig ka, sasabihin ko sa iyo ang wastong mga tungkulin ng isang brāhmaṇa.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse marks a transition: after addressing the ordered nature of living beings (bhūtagrāma), Vyāsa begins a focused instruction on brāhmaṇa-dharma—what a brāhmaṇa ought to do as a matter of ethical and social responsibility.
Vyāsa responds to a prior question about beings and their regulation, states that he has already explained it, and then introduces the next topic: the specific duties of a brāhmaṇa, asking the listener to pay attention.