Shloka 4
प्रजापतयः देवगणाश्च दिशि-दिशि स्थिताः ऋषयः
Prajāpatis, Deva-Groups, and the Ṛṣis Assigned to the Directions
यत्कारणं यत्र विधि: प्रवृत्तो ज्ञाने फलं यत्प्रवदन्ति विप्रा: । यन्मन्त्रशब्दैरकृतप्रकाशं तदुच्यतां मे भगवन् यथावत्
yatkāraṇaṁ yatra vidhiḥ pravṛtto jñāne phalaṁ yatpravadanti viprāḥ | yanmantraśabdair akṛtaprakāśaṁ taducyatāṁ me bhagavan yathāvat, bhagavan ||
भीष्म ने कहा— भगवन्! जो इस जगत् का कारण है, जिसके लिए वैदिक विधि-कर्म प्रवृत्त होते हैं, जिसे विप्रजन ज्ञान का फल (परब्रह्म) कहते हैं, और जिसका तत्त्व केवल मन्त्र-वचनों से पूर्णतः प्रकाशित नहीं होता— उस नित्य तत्त्व का मेरे लिए यथावत् वर्णन कीजिये।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the highest Reality (Brahman/Paramatman) as the ultimate cause, the true goal behind Vedic injunctions, and the supreme fruit of knowledge—yet not something exhaustively captured by mantra-words alone. It points toward realization that transcends mere verbal or ritual formulation.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma addresses a revered teacher as “Bhagavan” and requests a precise exposition of the eternal principle: why rituals are performed, what sages call the result of knowledge, and what remains only partially disclosed by Vedic mantras.