Shloka 15
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
तस्मान्मे संशयं छिन्धि परं कौतूहलं हि मे । त्वं हि सर्वकथारामस्त्वां चैवोपाश्रिता वयम्
tasmān me saṁśayaṁ chindhi paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi me | tvaṁ hi sarvakathārāmas tvāṁ caivopāśritā vayam, bharataśreṣṭha |
「ゆえに、私の疑いを断ち切ってください。大いなる好奇が私の内に起こったのです。あなたはあらゆる聖なる説話を愛で、我らはあなたに寄りすがっています、バーラタ族の最勝者よ。経典にはこの世より解き放たれた者の相が説かれていますが、あなたはシュヴェータド्वीーパの住人をも同じ相で語られた。そこから迷いが生じたのです。どうか取り除いてください、私は理解を切に望みます。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sincere seeker should openly present doubt (saṁśaya) and request its removal from a qualified guide. The verse emphasizes disciplined inquiry grounded in śāstra (scriptural criteria) and the importance of clarifying apparent equivalences—here, between the scriptural marks of liberation and the described qualities of Śvetadvīpa’s residents.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder teacher (contextually Bhīṣma in Śānti Parva), noting that the traits he has heard for liberated persons match those attributed to the inhabitants of Śvetadvīpa. This creates a doctrinal puzzle, so he asks for a clear resolution, declaring his eagerness and dependence on the teacher’s guidance.