Shloka 4
Cyavana Explains His Tests; Kuśika Seeks Brāhmaṇya for His Line (च्यवन–कुशिक संवादः)
तदस्य सम्भवं राजन् निखिलेनानुकीर्तय । कौशिकाच्च कथं वंशात् क्षत्राद् वै ब्राह्मणो भवेत्
tadasya sambhavaṁ rājan nikhilenānukīrtaya | kauśikāc ca kathaṁ vaṁśāt kṣatrād vai brāhmaṇo bhavet ||
युधिष्ठिर बोले— हे राजन्! उनके जन्म का पूरा वृत्तान्त मुझे सुनाइए। कुशिक का वंश तो क्षत्रिय था; फिर उसी वंश से ब्राह्मण कैसे उत्पन्न हुआ? अतः हे राजन्! परशुराम की उत्पत्ति का सम्पूर्ण प्रसंग बताइए।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into how spiritual status and social identity (Brāhmaṇa-hood) can arise in relation to lineage (vaṁśa). It prompts reflection on whether varṇa is determined solely by birth or also by qualities, conduct, and divine/ascetic factors as explained in the ensuing narrative.
Yudhiṣṭhira requests a complete account of Paraśurāma’s origin and asks how a Brāhmaṇa could emerge from the Kṣatriya Kauśika line. This sets up the subsequent genealogical and explanatory narration by the interlocutor addressed as ‘O King’.