Shloka 3
संस्तुत्य पृथिवीं देवीं वासुदेव: प्रतापवान् । पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठ मां त्वं यत् पृच्छसे5द्य वै,भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रतापी भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने पृथ्वी-देवीकी स्तुति करके उनसे यही बात पूछी थी, जो आज तुम मुझसे पूछते हो
Saṁstutya pṛthivīṁ devīṁ Vāsudevaḥ pratāpavān | papraccha Bharataśreṣṭha māṁ tvaṁ yat pṛcchase ’dya vai, Bharataśreṣṭha |
Bhishma said: “O best of the Bharatas, the mighty Vāsudeva—after praising the goddess Earth—once asked her the very question that you are asking me today.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse legitimizes the present dharmic question by linking it to an earlier, exemplary inquiry made by Vāsudeva after honoring Pṛthivī-devī. It frames ethical instruction as arising from reverence (stuti) and responsible questioning, not mere debate.
Bhīṣma, speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Bharataśreṣṭha), says that Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) once praised the Earth-goddess and asked her the same matter that Yudhiṣṭhira is now asking Bhīṣma, thereby setting a precedent for the discussion.