Shloka 2
युधिष्ठिरप्रश्नः—विश्वामित्रस्य ब्राह्मणत्वकौतूहलम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Viśvāmitra’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें सुदर्शनका उपाख्यानविषयक दूसरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
viśvāmitreṇa dharmātman brāhmaṇatvaṃ nararṣabha | śrotum icchāmi tattvena tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಧರ್ಮಾತ್ಮ ಪಿತಾಮಹ, ನರರ್ಷಭ! ವಿಶ್ವಾಮಿತ್ರನು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣತ್ವವನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಪಡೆದನು ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ತತ್ತ್ವವಾಗಿ ಕೇಳಲು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ನನಗೆ ಹೇಳಿರಿ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key Mahābhārata concern: whether spiritual and ethical excellence (brāhmaṇatva as a quality) can be attained through truth, discipline, and dharma rather than being fixed solely by birth. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the ‘tattva’—the real principle behind Viśvāmitra’s rise.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about Viśvāmitra: despite being born a Kṣatriya, he is renowned as a brāhmaṇa-rṣi. Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to explain how this transformation occurred and what it truly signifies.