Shloka 10
Brahma-vidyā: Satya–Tapas and the Enumeration of Tattvas
Arjuna–Vāsudeva framed dialogue
वक्तुमर्हसि विप्रर्षे यथावदिह तत्त्वत: । त्वदन्य: कश्नन प्रश्नानेतान् वक्तुमिहाहति
śiṣya uvāca | vaktum arhasi viprarṣe yathāvad iha tattvataḥ | tvad anyaḥ kaścan praśnān etān vaktum iha arhati |
The disciple said: “O best of Brahmin seers, you should explain—here and now, correctly and in accordance with the truth. Other than you, no one is fit in this world to answer these questions. Therefore, please tell me, for I am intensely eager to know: which paths lead to true welfare, what is the highest happiness, and what is called sin. You, revered teacher, are capable of giving a precise answer, being renowned as one skilled in the principles of the dharma that leads to liberation.”
शिष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the disciple’s ethical and spiritual inquiry as legitimate and urgent, and it grounds authority in a qualified teacher: questions about welfare-bringing paths, highest happiness, and the nature of sin should be answered “yathāvat” (properly) and “tattvataḥ” (in accordance with truth), especially within the framework of mokṣa-dharma.
In a guru–śiṣya setting, the disciple respectfully addresses a Brahmin-sage, declaring that no one else is competent to answer these inquiries, and requests a truthful, precise exposition—signaling the start (or continuation) of a didactic discourse on liberation-oriented dharma.