Shloka 2
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
यत्र गृद्धा: पाण्डुपुत्रा यत्र मे सज्जते मन: । एतन्मे तत्त्वमाचक्ष्व त्वं हि मे बुद्धिमान मत:,धृतराष्ट्र बोले--संजय! यह जो भारतवर्ष है, जिसमें यह राजाओंकी विशाल वाहिनी युद्धके लिये एकत्र हुई है, जहाँका साम्राज्य प्राप्त करनेके लिये मेरा पुत्र दुर्योधन ललचाया हुआ है, जिसे पानेके लिये पाण्डवोंके मनमें भी बड़ी इच्छा है तथा जिसके प्रति मेरा मन भी बहुत आसक्त है, उस भारतवर्षका तुम यथार्थरूपसे वर्णन करो; क्योंकि इस कार्यके लिये मेरी दृष्टिमें तुम्हीं सबसे अधिक बुद्धिमान् हो
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yatra gṛddhāḥ pāṇḍuputrā yatra me sajjate manaḥ | etan me tattvam ācakṣva tvaṃ hi me buddhimān mataḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Tell me truly about that land and realm for which the sons of Pāṇḍu are eager, to which my own mind clings with attachment. Explain its real nature to me, for in my judgment you are the most discerning to speak on this matter.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how attachment (manaḥ sajjate) and craving for dominion (gṛddhāḥ) distort judgment in political and ethical life. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s request for “tattva” implicitly contrasts truth-seeking with his own confessed clinging, highlighting a key Mahābhārata theme: desire for power fuels conflict and clouds dharma.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya, asking him to describe the true nature of the realm that both sides desire. He admits that the Pāṇḍavas long for it and that his own mind is attached to it, and he relies on Sañjaya’s discernment to explain the matter accurately.