Shloka 1
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
शुक्राचार्यने कहा--तात! आकाशसहित यह सारी पृथ्वी जिनकी भुजाओंके बलपर स्थित है, महान् प्रभावशाली उन भगवान् विष्णुदेवको नमस्कार है
Śukrācārya uvāca—tāta! ākāśa-sahitā iyam sarvā pṛthivī yasyāḥ bhujayoḥ balena pratiṣṭhitā, taṁ mahān-prabhāvaṁ bhagavantaṁ Viṣṇudevaṁ namaskāraḥ.
舒克罗阿阇梨说道：“孩子啊！我向那位威光赫奕的毗湿奴世尊致敬；凭借祂臂力之威，这整个大地——连同苍穹——得以被支撑而安立。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence toward the sustaining divine principle—Lord Viṣṇu—by portraying the stability of the cosmos (earth with the sky) as dependent on his power. Ethically, it encourages humility and devotion as foundations for right conduct (dharma).
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in Śānti Parva, a saying attributed to Śukrācārya is cited: he addresses a listener affectionately and offers a formal salutation to Viṣṇu, emphasizing Viṣṇu’s cosmic support and supreme influence.