Shloka 4
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
भारत! धर्मका यह मार्ग बहुत बड़ा है। इससे बहुत सी शाखाएँ निकली हुई हैं। इन धर्मोमेंसे कौनसा धर्म सर्वोत्तम, अवश्य पालन करनेयोग्य माना गया है? ।।
dharmasya mahato rājan bahuśākhasya tattvataḥ | yanmūlaṃ paramaṃ tāta tat sarvaṃ brūhi aśeṣataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa hỏi: “Bạch Đại vương, con đường dharma vĩ đại này lan ra nhiều nhánh. Vậy theo chân lý, cội rễ tối thượng—nền tảng cao nhất—của nó là gì? Người thân kính, xin nói cho con trọn vẹn, không bỏ sót điều nào.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as a vast, many-branched system and seeks its single highest root—implying that ethical life has diverse applications but rests on an underlying supreme principle that must be identified to guide right action.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions the elder authority he addresses as ‘O king,’ asking for a complete explanation of dharma’s ultimate foundation amid its many branches.