Shloka 5
त्वयि प्रतिगते श्रेय: कुत: श्रोष्यामहे वयम् । कुरुवंशप्रदीपस्त्व॑ ज्ञानदीपेन दीप्यसे,आपके चले जानेपर हमलोग अपने कल्याणकी बातें किससे सुनेंगे? आप कुरुवंशको प्रकाशित करनेवाले प्रदीप हैं और ज्ञानदीपसे उद्भासित हो रहे हैं
tvayi pratigate śreyaḥ kutaḥ śroṣyāmahe vayam | kuruvaṁśapradīpas tvaṁ jñānadīpena dīpyase ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “When you have departed, from whom shall we hear what leads to our highest good? You are the lamp that illumines the Kuru lineage, and you shine with the lamp of true knowledge.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the necessity of wise guidance for attaining śreyaḥ (the highest good). It presents the ideal elder/teacher as a ‘lamp’ whose knowledge illuminates both individuals and the wider community or lineage.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the revered elder (contextually, Bhīṣma) with anxiety about his impending departure, expressing that without him they will lose access to teachings on welfare and dharma, and praising him as the illuminator of the Kuru line through wisdom.