Shloka 1
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
अफ्-४-क+ षट्षष्ट्यधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय: महर्षि गौतम और चिरकारीका उपाख्यान--दीर्घकालतक सोच-विचारकर कार्य करनेकी प्रशंसा युधिछिर उवाच कथं कार्य परीक्षेत शीघ्रं वाथ चिरेण वा । सर्वथा कार्यदुर्गेडस्मिन् भवान् न: परमो गुरु:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kathaṁ kāryaṁ parīkṣeta śīghraṁ vātha cireṇa vā | sarvathā kārya-durge ’smin bhavān naḥ paramo guruḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Phải xét một việc như thế nào—nên làm ngay, hay chỉ làm sau khi suy xét lâu dài? Trong việc khó khăn này, khi phải quyết định điều gì là nên làm, ngài là bậc thầy tối thượng của con. Xin chỉ dạy cho chúng con.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central dharma problem: when faced with a hard duty, one must first examine the action carefully—deciding whether prompt execution or prolonged deliberation is appropriate—by seeking guidance from a reliable moral authority.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his elder teacher (Bhīṣma in context) and asks for instruction on how to evaluate difficult duties—especially those that may be obligatory yet seem morally troubling—introducing the theme that leads into the Gautama–Cirakārī episode praising thoughtful deliberation.