Shloka 1
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
ऑपन--माज बछ। अि>-छऋाज एकविशो< ध्याय: अष्टावक्र और उत्तरदिशाका संवाद
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | na bibheti kathaṃ sā strī śāpāc ca paramadyuteḥ | kathaṃ nivṛtto bhagavāṃs tad bhavān prabravītu me ||
یُدھشٹھِر نے کہا—اے پِتامہ! وہ عورت اس نہایت درخشاں مُنی کے شاپ سے کیسے نہ ڈری؟ اور بھگوان اشٹاوکر وہاں سے کس طرح واپس آئے؟ یہ سب مجھے بتائیے۔
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into fear, accountability, and the moral weight of ascetic speech: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks to understand how one remains unshaken before a powerful curse and how a revered sage concludes his encounter—implying that inner steadiness and right conduct matter even amid extraordinary spiritual power.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to continue the account connected with Aṣṭāvakra: he wants details on why an unnamed woman did not fear a great sage’s curse and how Aṣṭāvakra departed/returned from that place, requesting Bhīṣma’s authoritative explanation.