Shloka 30

Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

तत्त्वं जिज्ञासमानानां चक्षुर्भवतु नो भवान्‌ | तदेतत्‌ सर्वमाचक्ष्व न हि तृप्पामि कथ्यताम्‌

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

tattvaṁ jijñāsamānānāṁ cakṣur bhavatu no bhavān |

tad etat sarvam ācakṣva na hi tṛpyāmi kathyatām ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Deseamos conocer la verdadera realidad de este asunto; por ello, sé tú nuestro ojo guía. Explícalo todo con claridad y por completo. No me sacio con oír solo un poco—te ruego que lo expongas.»

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'tattvam': 'truth

• essential reality', 'jijñāsamānānām': 'of those who desire to know

• of inquirers', 'cakṣuḥ': 'eye

• guide (metaphorically, one who enables right seeing)', 'bhavatu': 'let (it) be

• may you become', 'naḥ': 'for us

• our', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'tad etat': 'that very (matter) here

• this precise point', 'sarvam': 'all

• entirely', 'ācakṣva': 'tell

• declare (imperative)', 'na hi': 'indeed not

• for I do not', 'tṛpyāmi': 'I am satisfied

• I am sated', 'kathyatām': 'let it be told

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharma-centered inquiry: the seeker admits incomplete understanding, requests a qualified guide, and asks for a complete, clear exposition of the underlying tattva (essential truth), showing that ethical clarity requires patient, thorough instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana-parvan’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder teacher-figure (contextually Bhīṣma) and urges him to serve as their ‘eye’—a guide—requesting a fuller explanation because he remains unsatisfied with partial hearing.