Shloka 1
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā, Haviḥ-dāna, and the Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī Saṃvāda
Chapter 34
ऑपन--माज बछ। जि एकत्रिशो< ध्याय: नारदजीके द्वारा पूजनीय पुरुषोंके लक्षण तथा उनके आदर-सत्कार और पूजनसे प्राप्त होनेवाले लाभका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच के पूज्या वै त्रिलोकेडस्मिन् मानवा भरतर्षभ । विस्तरेण तदाचक्ष्व न हि तृप्पामि कथ्यत:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | Pūjyā vai triloke 'smin mānavā Bharatarṣabha | Vistareṇa tad ācakṣva na hi tṛpyāmi kathyataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Hỡi bậc trượng phu kiệt xuất của dòng Bharata, trong ba cõi này, những hạng người nào thật sự đáng được tôn kính? Xin hãy giảng giải tường tận, bởi chỉ nghe kể thôi cũng không bao giờ làm ta thỏa lòng.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry central to dharma: identifying who truly deserves honor and reverence, implying that respect should be grounded in virtue and right conduct rather than mere status.
Yudhiṣṭhira, eager to learn, asks a revered interlocutor addressed as ‘Bharatarṣabha’ to explain in detail which people across the three worlds are considered worthy of worship and honor, signaling the start of a didactic exposition.