Shloka 4
यत्कारणं यत्र विधि: प्रवृत्तो ज्ञाने फलं यत्प्रवदन्ति विप्रा: । यन्मन्त्रशब्दैरकृतप्रकाशं तदुच्यतां मे भगवन् यथावत्,भगवन्! जो इस जगत्का कारण है, जिसके लिये वैदिक कर्मोंका अनुष्ठान किया जाता है, ब्राह्मण लोग जिसे ही ज्ञान होनेपर प्राप्त होनेवाला फल (परब्रह्म परमात्मा) बताते हैं तथा वेदके मन्त्र-वाक्योंद्वारा जिसका तत्त्व पूर्णरूपसे प्रकाशमें नहीं आता, उस नित्य वस्तुका मेरे लिये यथावद्रूपसे वर्णन कीजिये
yatkāraṇaṁ yatra vidhiḥ pravṛtto jñāne phalaṁ yatpravadanti viprāḥ | yanmantraśabdair akṛtaprakāśaṁ taducyatāṁ me bhagavan yathāvat, bhagavan ||
Bhishma said: “O Blessed One, please explain to me correctly and in full that eternal Reality which is the cause of this world; for whose sake Vedic rites and ordinances are undertaken; which the learned Brahmins declare to be the fruit attained through true knowledge; and whose essence is not completely brought to light merely by the words of Vedic mantras.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the highest Reality (Brahman/Paramatman) as the ultimate cause, the true goal behind Vedic injunctions, and the supreme fruit of knowledge—yet not something exhaustively captured by mantra-words alone. It points toward realization that transcends mere verbal or ritual formulation.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma addresses a revered teacher as “Bhagavan” and requests a precise exposition of the eternal principle: why rituals are performed, what sages call the result of knowledge, and what remains only partially disclosed by Vedic mantras.