Shloka 23
Adhyaya 4 — Draupadi and Her Husbands
मार्कण्डेयं महात्मानं पूर्वं भृगुकुलोद्वहम् ।
तमहं पृष्टवान् प्राप्य सन्देहान् भरतं प्रति ॥
mārkaṇḍeyaṃ mahātmānaṃ pūrvaṃ bhṛgukulodvaham | tam ahaṃ pṛṣṭavān prāpya sandehān bharataṃ prati ||
سابقًا، بعدما لقيتُ مرْكانديَيا العظيمَ النفس—وهو سليلٌ جليل من سلالة بهريغو—سألته، إذ كانت لديّ شكوكٌ تتعلّق ببهاراتا (أرض بهاراتا/شعبها).
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds the classical Purāṇic method: sincere doubt (saṃśaya/sandeha) is resolved by approaching a qualified teacher (a mahātmā and lineage-bearing ṛṣi). Ethically, it affirms humility and disciplined inquiry as prerequisites for right understanding of dharma and tradition.
This verse functions as framing (upodghāta) rather than directly presenting one of the five (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It introduces the pedagogical setting in which those pañcalakṣaṇa materials—especially vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita and manvantara—may be taught.
Symbolically, ‘Bharata’ can indicate not only a geographic-cultural field but the arena of dharma where confusion arises due to multiplicity of paths. Approaching Markandeya (a seer associated with longevity, tapas, and clarity) signifies turning from fragmented perception toward a unifying vision grounded in ṛṣi-tradition.