Shloka 11
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तत््वेन भरतर्षभ । कृत्स्नं तन्मे यथातत्त्व॑ प्रत्रूहि वदतां वर
etad icchāmy ahaṁ śrotuṁ tattvena bharatarṣabha | kṛtsnaṁ tan me yathātattvaṁ prabrūhi vadatāṁ vara ||
युधिष्ठिर ने कहा—हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! मैं इसका कारण यथार्थ रूप से सुनना चाहता हूँ। हे वक्ताओं में श्रेष्ठ पितामह! यह समस्त रहस्य मुझे यथावत् बताइये।
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks not partial opinions but the complete truth (tattva) and asks for a precise, undistorted explanation (yathātattvam), emphasizing intellectual honesty and ethical clarity.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the revered instructor (commonly Bhīṣma) and requests a full, truthful account of the matter under discussion, setting up a detailed teaching that follows.