Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि पुण्यानि भरतर्षभ । वक्तुमहसि मे तानि श्रोतास्मि नियतं प्रभो,भरतभूषण! इस पृथ्वीपर जो-जो पवित्र तीर्थ हैं, उन्हें मैं नियमपूर्वक सुनना चाहता हूँ। आप उन्हें बतलानेकी कृपा करें
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni puṇyāni bharatarṣabha |
vaktum arhasi me tāni śrotāsmi niyataṃ prabho ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Hỡi bậc tráng kiện nhất trong dòng Bharata! Trên cõi đất này có những tīrtha thanh tịnh, ban phước đức nào, xin Ngài hãy kể cho ta. Bạch Chúa tể, ta quyết tâm lắng nghe với sự chuyên chú và kỷ luật.”
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic learning through disciplined listening: sacred knowledge (here, the catalogue of tīrthas and their merit) is to be received with niyama—self-restraint, attentiveness, and resolve—showing that ethical benefit depends not only on the subject (holy places) but also on the learner’s disposition.
Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully requests an authoritative elder/teacher addressed as ‘bharatarṣabha’ to enumerate the earth’s sacred tīrthas. This initiates a didactic section on pilgrimage, sacred sites, and the religious-ethical value (puṇya) associated with them.