Shloka 1

Devanagari script

है ० बक। ] अडिफशशाए: चतुःसप्तरत्याधिकद्विशततमो<ध्याय: मोक्षके साधनका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच मोक्ष: पितामहेनोक्त उपायान्नानुपायतः । तमुपायं यथान्यायं श्रोतुमिच्छामि भारत,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! आपने योग्य उपायसे मोक्षकी प्राप्ति बतायी, अयोग्य उपायसे नहीं। भरतनन्दन! वह यथायोग्य उपाय क्या है? इसे मैं सुनना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: Mokṣaḥ pitāmahenokta upāyān nānupāyataḥ | tam upāyaṃ yathānyāyaṃ śrotum icchāmi Bhārata ||

Translation

یُدھشٹھِر نے کہا—پیتامہ! آپ نے بتایا ہے کہ موکش مناسب اور درست وسیلے سے حاصل ہوتا ہے، نامناسب وسیلے سے نہیں۔ اے بھارت کے فرزند! میں اسی حق و دھرم کے مطابق طریقے کو سننا چاہتا ہوں۔

Word by Word

मोक्षःliberation

पितामहेनby the grandsire (Bhīṣma)

उक्तःsaid/declared

उपायात्from/by means of a method

नnot

अनुपायतःfrom an improper method

तम्that

उपायम्means/method

यथाas/how

न्यायम्properly; according to rule

श्रोतुम्to hear

इच्छामिI wish/desire

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

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?

Liberation (mokṣa) is not merely a goal but is inseparable from the means: it must be pursued through rightful, dharma-aligned methods (upāya), not through unethical or improper shortcuts.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s discourse on peace and liberation, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as Pitāmaha and requests a clear explanation of the proper method for attaining mokṣa, emphasizing that only legitimate means are acceptable.