Mahabharata 9.53.3 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 53, Shloka 3
Plakṣaprasravaṇa–Kārapacana tīrtha-varṇana and Nārada’s war briefing (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 53)
राम उवाच किमर्थ कुरुणा कृष्ट क्षेत्रमेतन््महात्मना । एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं कथ्यमानं तपोधना:
rāma uvāca kimarthaṁ kuruṇā kṛṣṭaṁ kṣetram etan mahātmanā | etad icchāmy ahaṁ śrotuṁ kathyamānaṁ tapodhanāḥ ||
राम (बलराम) ने पूछा— “तपोधन ऋषियों! महात्मा कुरु ने इस क्षेत्र को किस उद्देश्य से जोता था? आप लोगों के मुख से मैं यह कथा सुनना चाहता हूँ।”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: sacred places and traditions are to be understood through respectful questioning and listening to qualified ascetics, emphasizing humility and the proper transmission of cultural memory.
Balarāma addresses ascetics and asks why the noble Kuru once ploughed this field—seeking to hear the traditional account that explains the significance of the region (Kurukṣetra).
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