Shloka 38
Bhīmasena’s Discourse on Kāla, Resolve, and the Feasibility of Ajñātavāsa (भीमसेनस्य कालोपदेशः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुकक््त्वा प्रपन्नाय शुचये भगवान् प्रभु: । प्रोवाच लोकतत्त्वज्ञो योगी विद्यामनुत्तमाम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! ऐसा कहकर लोकतत्त्वके ज्ञाता एवं शक्तिशाली योगी परम बुद्धिमान् सत्यवतीनन्दन भगवान् व्यासजीने अपनी शरणमें आये हुए पवित्र धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको उस अत्युत्तम विद्याका उपदेश किया और कुन्तीकुमारकी अनुमति लेकर फिर वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evam uktvā prapannāya śucaye bhagavān prabhuḥ | provāca lokatattvajño yogī vidyām anuttamām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, the blessed and mighty lord—Veda-knowing Vyāsa, the yogin who understands the true principles of the world—then instructed the pure Yudhiṣṭhira, who had taken refuge in him, in that unsurpassed knowledge. (In the surrounding narrative, after granting this teaching and with the consent of Kuntī’s son, he disappears again.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual framework of instruction: true knowledge (vidyā) is transmitted by a realized teacher (lokatattvajña yogī) to a worthy recipient characterized by purity and surrender (śuci, prapanna). The emphasis is on humility, refuge in wisdom, and the authority of dharmic insight.
After speaking previously, Vaiśampāyana narrates that the powerful sage Vyāsa, described as a yogin who knows the world’s true principles, proceeds to teach Yudhiṣṭhira—who has approached him in surrender—an unsurpassed doctrine/knowledge, marking a pivotal moment of guidance in the forest narrative.