Shloka 1
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
ऑपन--माज बछ। जि एकत्रिशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: शुकदेवजीका प्रश्न और व्यासजीका उनके प्रश्नोंका उत्तर देते हुए कालका स्वरूप बताना युधिछिर उवाच आद्यन्तं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञातुमिच्छामि कौरव । ध्यानं कर्म च काल॑ च तथैवायुर्युगे युगे
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ādyantaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ jñātum icchāmi kaurava | dhyānaṁ karma ca kālaṁ ca tathaivāyur yuge yuge ||
尤提施提罗（Yudhiṣṭhira）说道：“噢，俱卢后裔（Kaurava）啊，我愿知一切众生之始与终。为求至上之善，当观想何者，当修行何业？时间（Kāla）的真实体性为何？又在各个不同的劫世（yuga）之中，人类寿命各有多长？”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-centered inquiry: to understand cosmic origins and dissolution, the right objects of meditation and action for the highest good, the nature of Time (kāla), and how human lifespan varies across the yugas—linking ethical practice with metaphysical understanding.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his teacher/interlocutor as “Kaurava” and poses a set of foundational questions about cosmology, spiritual discipline (dhyāna and karma), Time, and yuga-based human longevity, preparing the ground for an extended doctrinal reply.