Shloka 60
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
युधिछिर उवाच अयं स भगवान् देव: पितामह जनार्दन: । सनत्कुमारो वृत्राय यत्तदाख्यातवान् पुरा
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—ayaṁ sa bhagavān devaḥ pitāmaha janārdanaḥ | Sanatkumāro Vṛtrāya yat tad ākhyātavān purā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira hỏi: “Thưa ông nội, Janārdana—Śrī Kṛṣṇa—chính là vị Thế Tôn, Đấng Tối Thượng, mà đại hiền triết Sanatkumāra thuở xưa đã giảng rõ chân tướng cho Vṛtrāsura, có phải vậy không?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights recognition of the Supreme Lord across different revelations: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks confirmation that Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) is the same Bhagavān earlier described by Sanatkumāra. Ethically, it frames dharma as grounded in discerning the true divine source behind teachings and exemplars.
During Bhīṣma’s instruction in Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma whether the Lord whose nature Sanatkumāra once taught to Vṛtrāsura is in fact the very Kṛṣṇa present in their story—thus linking earlier sacred discourse to the current epic context.