कां च काष्ठां समासाद्य पुन: सम्पत्स्यते कृतम् । विस्तरेण मुने ब्रूहि विचित्राणीह भाषसे,कलियुगके किस सीमातक पहुँच जानेपर पुनः सत्ययुग आरम्भ हो जायगा? मुने! इन सब बातोंका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन कीजिये; क्योंकि आपकी कथा बड़ी विचित्र होती है
kāṁ ca kāṣṭhāṁ samāsādya punaḥ sampatsyate kṛtam | vistareṇa mune brūhi vicitrāṇīha bhāṣase ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Having reached what further limit or culminating point will the established order come to be restored again? O sage, tell me in detail—here you speak of matters most wondrous.”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
The verse models dhārmic inquiry: when confronted with teachings about decline and renewal, one should ask for clear limits, causes, and detailed explanation rather than relying on vague claims. It frames the yuga-cycle as intelligible through disciplined questioning of a qualified sage.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a sage and asks at what ‘extreme point’ the situation reaches before the Kṛta (ideal) order is restored again, requesting a fuller account because the sage’s description of events is striking and unusual.