Shloka 16
धर्मसूक्ष्मे त्यागप्रधान्यविचारः
Subtle Dharma and the Primacy of Renunciation
अनुस्मृत्य तु शास्त्राणि कवय: समवस्थिता: । अपीह स्यादपीह स्यात् सारासारदिदृक्षया
anusmṛtya tu śāstrāṇi kavayaḥ samavasthitāḥ | apīha syād apīha syāt sārāsāradidṛkṣayā ||
尤提希提罗说道：“诸贤反复追念诸论典（śāstra）之教，遂相与会集。为辨别何者为精要、何者为虚妄，他们发起此问：‘在此处的居家之道中，真有其要义吗？抑或要义在于舍弃它？’”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic method: wise people repeatedly consult śāstra and then apply viveka—discerning ‘sāra’ (true value) from ‘asāra’ (mere appearance)—to decide whether worldly duties (gṛhastha life) or renunciation better serves the highest good.
Yudhiṣṭhira reports an archetypal debate: sages gather, recall scriptural authorities, and begin examining a central ethical question—whether the householder’s path contains the real ‘essence’ or whether the essence lies in giving it up.