Shloka 8
Adhyāya 55 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hesitation and Bhīṣma’s Authorization of Inquiry
Rājadharma Prelude
यो न कामाज्न संरम्भान्न भयाज्नार्थकारणात् । कुर्यादधर्म धर्मात्मा स मां पृच्छतु पाण्डव:
yo na kāmāj na saṃrambhān na bhayāj nārtha-kāraṇāt | kuryād adharmaṃ dharmātmā sa māṃ pṛcchatu pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Wika ni Vaiśampāyana: “Hayaan ninyong ang Pāṇḍava—matatag sa dharma—ang magtanong sa akin: yaong hindi gagawa ng adharma dahil sa pagnanasa, dahil sa padalus-dalos na galit, dahil sa takot, o dahil sa pansariling pakinabang.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person truly qualified to inquire into dharma is one who does not fall into wrongdoing from the four common drivers—desire, rash anger, fear, or self-interested gain. Ethical clarity begins with mastery over these motives.
Vaiśampāyana frames the ideal questioner—implicitly Yudhiṣṭhira—before proceeding with instruction in the Śānti Parva. He signals that the forthcoming teaching on dharma is meant for a ruler committed to righteousness and not swayed by passion, anger, fear, or greed.