Shloka 6
Adhyāya 55 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hesitation and Bhīṣma’s Authorization of Inquiry
Rājadharma Prelude
सम्बन्धिनो5तिथीन् भृत्यान् संश्रितांश्वैव यो भृूशम् । सम्मानयति सत्कृत्य स मां पृच्छतु पाण्डव:
vaishampāyana uvāca | sambandhino ’tithīn bhṛtyān saṁśritāṁś caiva yo bhṛśam | sammānayati satkṛtya sa māṁ pṛcchatu pāṇḍavaḥ ||
毗舍波耶那说道：“让那位般度族王子来问我——他常以周全礼敬尊崇亲族、宾客、仆从，以及前来投依求庇护之人，并以应有的款待给予他们特别的敬重。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal: a righteous person—especially a ruler—must actively honor and care for four groups central to social order: relatives, guests, dependents/servants, and those who seek refuge. True virtue is shown through respectful hospitality (satkāra) and protection, not merely through words.
Vaiśampāyana frames Yudhiṣṭhira as qualified to inquire further because of his established conduct—his consistent honoring of relations, guests, servants, and the sheltered. It functions as a transition into instruction: the worthy questioner is identified by his practice of dharma.