Shloka 1

पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation

Devanagari script

अफ्-४-क+ षट्षष्ट्यधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय: महर्षि गौतम और चिरकारीका उपाख्यान--दीर्घकालतक सोच-विचारकर कार्य करनेकी प्रशंसा युधिछिर उवाच कथं कार्य परीक्षेत शीघ्रं वाथ चिरेण वा । सर्वथा कार्यदुर्गेडस्मिन्‌ भवान्‌ न: परमो गुरु:

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kathaṁ kāryaṁ parīkṣeta śīghraṁ vātha cireṇa vā | sarvathā kārya-durge ’smin bhavān naḥ paramo guruḥ ||

Translation

由提施提罗说道：“当如何审察一项作为——应当迅速行之，还是经久思量之后方行？在这判定何者当为的艰难之事上，您是我至上的导师。愿为我等开示。”

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कथम्: how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)

• कार्यं: a task; what is to be done
• कार्यं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परीक्षेत: should examine
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक used adverbially)

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)

• अथ: then / alternatively
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)

• चिरेण: with delay; after a long time
• चिरेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a central dharma problem: when faced with a hard duty, one must first examine the action carefully—deciding whether prompt execution or prolonged deliberation is appropriate—by seeking guidance from a reliable moral authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his elder teacher (Bhīṣma in context) and asks for instruction on how to evaluate difficult duties—especially those that may be obligatory yet seem morally troubling—introducing the theme that leads into the Gautama–Cirakārī episode praising thoughtful deliberation.