Shloka 2
अव्यक्तव्यक्ततत्त्वानां निश्चय बुद्धिनिश्चयम् । वक्तुमर्हसि कौरव्य देवस्याजस्य या कृति:,कुरुनन्दन! इसके सिवा आप मुझे व्यक्त और अव्यक्त तत्त्वोंका बुद्धिद्वारा निश्चित किया हुआ स्वरूप बतलाइये तथा अजन्मा भगवान् नारायणका जो चरित्र है, उसे भी सुनानेकी कृपा करें
avyaktavyaktatattvānāṁ niścaya-buddhiniścayam | vaktum arhasi kauravya devasyājasya yā kṛtiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô rejeton des Kuru, explique-moi la compréhension arrêtée—obtenue par l’intellect qui discerne—des principes dits “non-manifesté” (avyakta) et “manifesté” (vyakta). Et veuille aussi raconter les actes du Seigneur non-né, Nārāyaṇa.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a request for philosophical clarity: a reasoned (buddhi-based) determination of the unmanifest and manifest principles (avyakta/vyakta tattvas), alongside a devotional-theological interest in the ‘unborn’ Lord Nārāyaṇa’s deeds—linking metaphysical inquiry with reverence for the divine.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a Kuru elder/teacher to explain subtle categories of reality (unmanifest vs. manifest) and to narrate the divine conduct of Nārāyaṇa, indicating a shift from post-war grief toward learning, discernment, and spiritual grounding.