युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कोऽसौ द्विजवरश्रेष्ठ चाणक्यो नाम नामतः । शुक्लतीर्थस्य यो वेत्ता नान्यो वेत्ता हि कश्चन
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ko'sau dvijavaraśreṣṭha cāṇakyo nāma nāmataḥ | śuklatīrthasya yo vettā nānyo vettā hi kaścana
युधिष्ठिर उवाच—हे द्विजवरश्रेष्ठ, नामतः चाणक्य इति प्रसिद्धोऽसौ कः? यः शुक्लतीर्थस्य वेत्ता, नान्यः कश्चन वेत्ता इति श्रूयते।
Yudhiṣṭhira
Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha
Type: ghat
Listener: A foremost brāhmaṇa/sage (contextually Mārkaṇḍeya in the ensuing verses)
Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions a foremost brāhmaṇa about the identity of Cāṇakya and the exclusive knowledge of Śuklatīrtha.
A sincere question to the wise opens the way to hidden sacred knowledge, especially about subtle tīrthas.
Śuklatīrtha, portrayed as so subtle that it has a rare ‘knower’ (vettā).
None; this verse is a narrative prompt initiating explanation about Cāṇakya and Śuklatīrtha.