Shloka 11
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तत््वेन भरतर्षभ । कृत्स्नं तन्मे यथातत्त्व॑ प्रत्रूहि वदतां वर
etad icchāmy ahaṁ śrotuṁ tattvena bharatarṣabha | kṛtsnaṁ tan me yathātattvaṁ prabrūhi vadatāṁ vara ||
युधिष्ठिर म्हणाला—हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! याचे कारण मला तत्त्वतः ऐकायचे आहे. हे वक्त्यांमध्ये श्रेष्ठ पितामह! हे सर्व रहस्य मला यथार्थपणे सांगावे.
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks not partial opinions but the complete truth (tattva) and asks for a precise, undistorted explanation (yathātattvam), emphasizing intellectual honesty and ethical clarity.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the revered instructor (commonly Bhīṣma) and requests a full, truthful account of the matter under discussion, setting up a detailed teaching that follows.