Shloka 1
मांसभक्षण-दोषाः तथा अहिंसाया माहात्म्यम् | Faults of Meat-Consumption and the Supremacy of Ahiṃsā
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ४ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ३५ श्लोक हैं) अपन प्रात छा अर: त्रयोदशाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: बृहस्पतिजीका युधिष्ठिरको अहिंसा एवं धर्मकी महिमा बताकर स्वर्गलोकको प्रस्थान युधिछिर उवाच अहिंसा वैदिकं कर्म ध्यानमिन्द्रियसंयम: । तपो<थ गुरुशुश्रूषा कि श्रेय: पुरुष प्रति
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
ahiṃsā vaidikaṃ karma dhyānam indriya-saṃyamaḥ |
tapo 'tha guru-śuśrūṣā kiṃ śreyaḥ puruṣaṃ prati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Bất bạo hại (ahiṃsā), các nghi lễ theo Veda, thiền định, chế ngự các căn, khổ hạnh, và phụng sự thầy một lòng—trong những điều ấy, điều nào thật sự là thiện ích tối thượng cho con người?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic dharma-inquiry: among multiple respected spiritual disciplines—non-violence, Vedic duty, meditation, sense-restraint, austerity, and service to the guru—which most decisively leads to śreyas (the highest good). It sets up a hierarchy or synthesis of practices by asking for the principle that best guides ethical and spiritual life.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking clarity on dharma, poses a direct question to the teaching authority in the chapter (contextually connected with instruction on ahiṃsā and dharma). His inquiry opens the discussion that follows, where the merits of these practices are evaluated and related to ultimate welfare.