Shloka 11
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तत््वेन भरतर्षभ । कृत्स्नं तन्मे यथातत्त्व॑ प्रत्रूहि वदतां वर,भरतश्रेष्ठ) इसका क्या कारण है? यह मैं यथार्थरूपसे सुनना चाहता हूँ। वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ पितामह! यह सारा रहस्य मुझे यथावत् रूपसे बताइये
etad icchāmy ahaṁ śrotuṁ tattvena bharatarṣabha | kṛtsnaṁ tan me yathātattvaṁ prabrūhi vadatāṁ vara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O bull among the Bharatas, I wish to hear this in its true essence. O best of speakers, explain to me fully and exactly as it is—the whole truth behind it.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks not partial opinions but the complete truth (tattva) and asks for a precise, undistorted explanation (yathātattvam), emphasizing intellectual honesty and ethical clarity.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the revered instructor (commonly Bhīṣma) and requests a full, truthful account of the matter under discussion, setting up a detailed teaching that follows.