Shloka 30

Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

तत्त्वं जिज्ञासमानानां चक्षुर्भवतु नो भवान्‌ | तदेतत्‌ सर्वमाचक्ष्व न हि तृप्पामि कथ्यताम्‌

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

tattvaṁ jijñāsamānānāṁ cakṣur bhavatu no bhavān |

tad etat sarvam ācakṣva na hi tṛpyāmi kathyatām ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Chúng con muốn biết chân tướng của việc này; xin người làm con mắt dẫn đường cho chúng con. Xin giảng giải mọi điều một cách rõ ràng và đầy đủ. Con chưa thỏa lòng khi chỉ nghe đôi chút—xin hãy trình bày trọn vẹn.”

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'tattvam': 'truth

• essential reality', 'jijñāsamānānām': 'of those who desire to know

• of inquirers', 'cakṣuḥ': 'eye

• guide (metaphorically, one who enables right seeing)', 'bhavatu': 'let (it) be

• may you become', 'naḥ': 'for us

• our', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'tad etat': 'that very (matter) here

• this precise point', 'sarvam': 'all

• entirely', 'ācakṣva': 'tell

• declare (imperative)', 'na hi': 'indeed not

• for I do not', 'tṛpyāmi': 'I am satisfied

• I am sated', 'kathyatām': 'let it be told

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharma-centered inquiry: the seeker admits incomplete understanding, requests a qualified guide, and asks for a complete, clear exposition of the underlying tattva (essential truth), showing that ethical clarity requires patient, thorough instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana-parvan’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder teacher-figure (contextually Bhīṣma) and urges him to serve as their ‘eye’—a guide—requesting a fuller explanation because he remains unsatisfied with partial hearing.