Shloka 5
Khaḍgotpattiḥ (Origin and Dharmic Function of the Sword) | खड्गोत्पत्तिः
श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन यथावदिह पार्थिव । अज्ञानप्रसवं हीदं यद् दुःखमुपलभ्यते,पृथ्वीनाथ! मैं इस विषयको यथावत््रूपसे तत्त्वके विवेचनपूर्वक सुनना चाहता हूँ; क्योंकि यह जो दुःख उपलब्ध होता है, उसकी उत्पत्तिका कारण अज्ञान ही है
śrotum icchāmi tattvena yathāvad iha pārthiva | ajñāna-prasavaṁ hīdaṁ yad duḥkham upalabhyate ||
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا—اے راجَن! میں اس بات کو یہاں حقیقت کے مطابق اور درست ترتیب سے سننا چاہتا ہوں؛ کیونکہ اس دنیا میں جو دکھ محسوس ہوتا ہے، وہ صرف جہالت ہی سے پیدا ہوتا ہے۔
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames suffering (duḥkha) as fundamentally rooted in ignorance (ajñāna). It emphasizes that correct understanding of reality (tattva) and orderly instruction (yathāvat) are necessary to diagnose and remedy the human experience of distress.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking peace and clarity after the war, respectfully asks a kingly authority/teacher to explain the matter in a principled and systematic way, because he recognizes ignorance as the source of the suffering people undergo.