Shloka 1

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

Culādhāra uvāca — sādhibhir vā yadi vāsādhibhiḥ panthānam imam āsthitam | pratyakṣaṃ kriyatāṃ sādhu tato jñāsyasi tad yathā ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Culādhāra: “O brāhmaṇa, ang landas ng dharma na aking tinahak—sinusundan ba ito ng tunay na mabubuti o ng mga hindi mabuti? Suriin mo itong mabuti at patunayan sa tuwirang karanasan. Kung gayon, mauunawaan mo ang katotohanan nito ayon sa tunay na anyo.”

Word by Word

तुलाधारःTulādhāra (name)

उवाचsaid

सत्भिःby/with the good (virtuous people)

वाor

यदिif

असत्भिःby/with the bad (wicked people)

पन्थानम्path

इमम्this

आस्थितम्followed/adopted

प्रत्यक्षम्directly, before the eyes

क्रियताम्let it be done / should be made

साधुwell; properly

ततःthen; thereafter

ज्ञास्यसिyou will know

तत्that (matter)

यथाas; how; in what way

Speaker

चुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

च

चुलाधार (Culādhāra)

ज

जाजलि (Jājali) (implied addressee in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.