Shloka 5
Khaḍgotpattiḥ (Origin and Dharmic Function of the Sword) | खड्गोत्पत्तिः
श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन यथावदिह पार्थिव । अज्ञानप्रसवं हीदं यद् दुःखमुपलभ्यते,पृथ्वीनाथ! मैं इस विषयको यथावत््रूपसे तत्त्वके विवेचनपूर्वक सुनना चाहता हूँ; क्योंकि यह जो दुःख उपलब्ध होता है, उसकी उत्पत्तिका कारण अज्ञान ही है
śrotum icchāmi tattvena yathāvad iha pārthiva | ajñāna-prasavaṁ hīdaṁ yad duḥkham upalabhyate ||
যুধিষ্ঠিৰে ক’লে—হে ৰাজন! মই এই বিষয়টো ইয়াত তত্ত্বতঃ আৰু যথাযথ ক্ৰমে শুনিবলৈ ইচ্ছা কৰোঁ; কিয়নো জগতত যি দুখ অনুভৱ হয়, তাৰ উৎপত্তি কেৱল অজ্ঞতাৰ পৰাই।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames suffering (duḥkha) as fundamentally rooted in ignorance (ajñāna). It emphasizes that correct understanding of reality (tattva) and orderly instruction (yathāvat) are necessary to diagnose and remedy the human experience of distress.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking peace and clarity after the war, respectfully asks a kingly authority/teacher to explain the matter in a principled and systematic way, because he recognizes ignorance as the source of the suffering people undergo.