Shloka 2
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
अव्यक्तव्यक्ततत्त्वानां निश्चय बुद्धिनिश्चयम् । वक्तुमर्हसि कौरव्य देवस्याजस्य या कृति:
avyaktavyaktatattvānāṁ niścaya-buddhiniścayam | vaktum arhasi kauravya devasyājasya yā kṛtiḥ ||
कुरुनन्दन! आप मुझे बुद्धि द्वारा निश्चित किए हुए अव्यक्त और व्यक्त तत्त्वों का निश्चयात्मक स्वरूप बताइए; और अजन्मा भगवान् नारायण की जो कृतियाँ हैं, उन्हें भी कहने की कृपा कीजिए।
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.