Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 26
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
किमत्र ब्रह्माण्यमृतं कि च वेद्यमनुत्तमम् । चिन्तयंस्तत्र चागत्य गन्धर्वो मामपृच्छत
kim atra brahmāṇy amṛtaṃ ki ca vedyam anuttamam | cintayaṃs tatra cāgatya gandharvo mām apṛcchata ||
“এ বিষয়ে অমৃত, অবিনশ্বর ব্রহ্ম কী? আর অনুত্তম জ্ঞেয় বস্তুই বা কী?”—এইভাবে চিন্তা করতে করতে, সেখানে এক গন্ধর্ব এসে আমাকে প্রশ্ন করল।
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the central Upaniṣadic-style inquiry: identifying the deathless reality (Brahman) and the highest object of knowledge. It emphasizes reflective questioning as the doorway to liberation-oriented wisdom.
Yājñavalkya reports that a Gandharva, contemplating profound questions about the immortal Brahman and the supreme knowable, approaches and questions him—setting up a dialogue on ultimate knowledge.