Shloka 10
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
युधिछिर उवाच त्रि:सप्तकृत्व: पृथिवी कृता नि:क्षत्रिया पुरा । रामेणेति तथा<5त्थ त्वमत्र मे संशयो महान्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: triḥ-saptakṛtvaḥ pṛthivī kṛtā niḥkṣatriyā purā | Rāmeṇeti tathā ’ttha tvam atra me saṁśayo mahān ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai tuanku, engkau telah menyatakan bahawa pada zaman dahulu Paraśurāma menjadikan bumi ini kosong daripada kṣatriya sebanyak dua puluh satu kali. Namun tentang hal ini, timbul keraguan yang besar dalam fikiranku.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic inquiry: even authoritative-sounding claims about past violence and social order should be examined critically. Yudhiṣṭhira models ethical reflection by voicing doubt about the implications and plausibility of ‘making the earth kṣatriya-less’ repeatedly.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira questions a prior statement that Paraśurāma eradicated kṣatriyas twenty-one times. He signals a major doubt and invites clarification, setting up further explanation about the tradition and its meaning.