Shloka 23
Adhyaya 4 — Jaimini Meets the Dharmapakshis: Four Doubts on the Mahabharata and the Opening of Narayana Doctrine
मार्कण्डेयं महात्मानं पूर्वं भृगुकुलोद्वहम् ।
तमहं पृष्टवान् प्राप्य सन्देहान् भरतं प्रति ॥
mārkaṇḍeyaṃ mahātmānaṃ pūrvaṃ bhṛgukulodvaham | tam ahaṃ pṛṣṭavān prāpya sandehān bharataṃ prati ||
先に私は、大いなる魂をもつマールカンデーヤ——ブリグ族の卓越した裔——に会い、バーラタ（バーラタの国土／民）に関する疑いを抱いていたゆえ、彼に問いただした。
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds the classical Purāṇic method: sincere doubt (saṃśaya/sandeha) is resolved by approaching a qualified teacher (a mahātmā and lineage-bearing ṛṣi). Ethically, it affirms humility and disciplined inquiry as prerequisites for right understanding of dharma and tradition.
This verse functions as framing (upodghāta) rather than directly presenting one of the five (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It introduces the pedagogical setting in which those pañcalakṣaṇa materials—especially vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita and manvantara—may be taught.
Symbolically, ‘Bharata’ can indicate not only a geographic-cultural field but the arena of dharma where confusion arises due to multiplicity of paths. Approaching Markandeya (a seer associated with longevity, tapas, and clarity) signifies turning from fragmented perception toward a unifying vision grounded in ṛṣi-tradition.