Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि पुण्यानि भरतर्षभ । वक्तुमहसि मे तानि श्रोतास्मि नियतं प्रभो,भरतभूषण! इस पृथ्वीपर जो-जो पवित्र तीर्थ हैं, उन्हें मैं नियमपूर्वक सुनना चाहता हूँ। आप उन्हें बतलानेकी कृपा करें
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni puṇyāni bharatarṣabha |
vaktum arhasi me tāni śrotāsmi niyataṃ prabho ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bhārata, quels que soient les tīrtha sacrés, dispensateurs de mérite, qui existent sur cette terre, veuille me les dire. Ô seigneur, je suis résolu à écouter avec une attention disciplinée.»
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic learning through disciplined listening: sacred knowledge (here, the catalogue of tīrthas and their merit) is to be received with niyama—self-restraint, attentiveness, and resolve—showing that ethical benefit depends not only on the subject (holy places) but also on the learner’s disposition.
Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully requests an authoritative elder/teacher addressed as ‘bharatarṣabha’ to enumerate the earth’s sacred tīrthas. This initiates a didactic section on pilgrimage, sacred sites, and the religious-ethical value (puṇya) associated with them.