Shloka 1
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें ब्रह्महत्यारोंका कथनविषयक चौबीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ २४ ॥। ऑपनआक्राता (_ अर: 2 पञ्चविशो<€ ध्याय: विभिन्न तीर्थोंके माहात्म्यका वर्णन युधिषछिर उवाच तीर्थानां दर्शन श्रेय: स्नानं च भरतर्षभ । श्रवण च महाप्राज्ञ श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: tīrthānāṃ darśanaṃ śreyaḥ snānaṃ ca bharatarṣabha | śravaṇaṃ ca mahāprājña śrotum icchāmi tattvataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bhārata, ô grand sage à la haute sagesse — on déclare que voir les tīrtha, s’y baigner et entendre leur grandeur est d’un grand profit spirituel. C’est pourquoi je souhaite entendre, selon la vérité, un exposé juste des tīrtha.»
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights three traditional means of gaining spiritual benefit: visiting sacred places (darśana), bathing there (snāna), and hearing their sacred significance (śravaṇa). It frames pilgrimage not merely as travel, but as a disciplined pursuit of śreyas—what leads to the highest good—grounded in accurate understanding (tattvataḥ).
At the opening of the chapter on tīrtha-māhātmya, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions a wise elder/sage addressed as “bharatarṣabha” and “mahāprājña,” requesting a truthful, detailed description of the sacred tīrthas and the merit associated with seeing them, bathing in them, and hearing about them.