Shloka 6
आदि पर्व — खाण्डवदाह प्रसङ्गः: पावकस्य याचनं तथा इन्द्रवर्षनिवारणोपायः
Adi Parva — Khāṇḍava episode: Agni’s request and the means to resist Indra’s rain
तपस्विनस्ततो<पृच्छत् प्राउजलि: कुरुनन्दन: । तीर्थानीमानि वर्ज्यन्ते किमर्थ ब्रह्मवादिभि:,तब कुरुनन्दन धनंजयने दोनों हाथ जोड़कर तपस्वी मुनियोंसे पूछा--“वेदवक्ता ऋषिगण इन तीर्थोंका परित्याग किसलिये कर रहे हैं?”
tapasvinas tato 'pṛcchat prāñjaliḥ kurunandanaḥ | tīrthānīmāni varjyante kimarthaṃ brahmavādibhiḥ ||
Então o príncipe dos Kurus, Dhanañjaya, com as palmas unidas em reverência, perguntou aos sábios ascetas: “Por que motivo os videntes — aqueles que falam de Brahman e do Veda — estão abandonando estes tīrthas sagrados?” O momento enquadra uma indagação moral: quando até as autoridades espirituais se afastam de lugares santos, isso sinaliza uma perturbação no dharma que exige compreensão, e não mero julgamento.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic discernment through humble inquiry: when revered sages avoid even holy places, one should seek the underlying cause—suggesting that sanctity is not merely geographic but depends on the prevailing moral-spiritual conditions and the conduct of beings present.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), respectfully joining his hands, asks the ascetic sages why the brahmavādins are leaving or avoiding the tīrthas. The scene sets up an explanation about disturbed conditions affecting sacred sites.