Shloka 1
शुकस्य योगसिद्धिः (Śuka’s Yogic Attainment and Ascent)
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका १ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ११३ श्लोक हैं) ऑपन--माजल बछ। अकाल एकोनविशर्त्याधिकॉत्रेशततमो< ध्याय: जरा-मृत्युका उल्लंघन करनेके विषयमें पजचशिख और राजा जनकका संवाद युधिछिर उवाच ऐश्वर्य वा महत् प्राप्प धनं वा भरतर्षभ । दीर्घमायुरवाप्याथ कथं मृत्युमतिक्रमेत्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
aiśvaryaṁ vā mahat prāpya dhanaṁ vā bharatarṣabha |
dīrgham āyur avāpya atha kathaṁ mṛtyum atikramet ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Hỡi bậc trượng phu kiệt xuất của dòng Bharata, dẫu đạt được quyền uy lớn, của cải dồi dào, hay thọ mạng rất dài, con người làm sao có thể thật sự vượt qua cái chết?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central Śānti Parva inquiry: worldly attainments—power, wealth, even longevity—do not by themselves conquer death. It sets the stage for a dharmic and philosophical response about what, if anything, truly transcends mortality (typically knowledge, detachment, and liberation-oriented practice).
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an honored Bharata elder/interlocutor and asks a pointed question: after achieving the highest worldly successes, by what means can one ‘cross beyond’ death? This initiates a discourse on overcoming fear of death and the pursuit of mokṣa.