Shloka 2
पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि पुण्यानि भरतर्षभ । वक्तुमहसि मे तानि श्रोतास्मि नियतं प्रभो,भरतभूषण! इस पृथ्वीपर जो-जो पवित्र तीर्थ हैं, उन्हें मैं नियमपूर्वक सुनना चाहता हूँ। आप उन्हें बतलानेकी कृपा करें
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni puṇyāni bharatarṣabha |
vaktum arhasi me tāni śrotāsmi niyataṃ prabho ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O bull among the Bharatas, whatever sacred and merit-bestowing pilgrimage places exist upon this earth—please tell them to me. O lord, I am resolved to listen with disciplined attention.”
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic learning through disciplined listening: sacred knowledge (here, the catalogue of tīrthas and their merit) is to be received with niyama—self-restraint, attentiveness, and resolve—showing that ethical benefit depends not only on the subject (holy places) but also on the learner’s disposition.
Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully requests an authoritative elder/teacher addressed as ‘bharatarṣabha’ to enumerate the earth’s sacred tīrthas. This initiates a didactic section on pilgrimage, sacred sites, and the religious-ethical value (puṇya) associated with them.