Shloka 1
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--तात! धर्मज्ञ कुरुश्रेष्ठ! सांख्य और योगमें कया अन्तर है? यह बतानेकी कृपा करें; क्योंकि आपको सब बातोंका ज्ञान है
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Tāta! dharmajña kuruśreṣṭha! sāṅkhya-yogayoḥ ko 'ntaraḥ? etad vaktum arhasi; yataḥ sarva-viṣayeṣu te jñānam asti.
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Bạch tôn phụ—bậc am tường dharma, đấng tối thượng trong dòng Kuru—Sāṅkhya và Yoga khác nhau ở điểm nào? Xin người từ bi giảng giải, vì người thông hiểu mọi điều.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a foundational ethical-philosophical inquiry: how two respected paths—Sāṅkhya (insight through discriminative knowledge) and Yoga (realization through disciplined practice)—are to be distinguished and understood within dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully addresses an elder authority as ‘knower of dharma’ and asks for clarification on the doctrinal difference between Sāṅkhya and Yoga, initiating a teaching sequence.