Shloka 2
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
यावान् भूम्यवकाशो<यं दृश्यते शशलक्षणे । तस्य प्रमाण प्रब्रूहि ततो वक्ष्यसि पिप्पलम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
yāvān bhūmy-avakāśo 'yaṃ dṛśyate śaśa-lakṣaṇe |
tasya pramāṇaṃ prabrūhi tato vakṣyasi pippalam ||
धृतराष्ट्र बोले—हे शश-चिह्नधारी (चन्द्रमा)! पृथ्वी के ऊपर जितना अवकाश दृष्टिगोचर होता है, उसका प्रमाण बताओ। फिर उसके बाद मुझे पिप्पल-स्थान का वर्णन करो।
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry (praśna) and the desire for precise knowledge (pramāṇa) before proceeding to sacred description, reflecting a classical ideal: understanding the measure and order of the world as a basis for meaningful narration about holy places and symbols.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses the Moon (identified by the hare-mark) and asks it to quantify the visible expanse above the earth; once that is explained, he requests a description of the pippala-related sacred locus.