Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 20
Asita Devala Observes Jaigīṣavya’s Yogic Attainment and Chooses Mokṣa-dharma (देवल-जैगीषव्योपाख्यानम्)
द्वैषायन: शुकश्नैव कृष्णश्र मधुसूदन: । यक्षाश्ष राक्षसाश्षैव पिशाचाक्ष विशाम्पते
Dvaipāyanaḥ śukaś caiva kṛṣṇaś ca madhusūdanaḥ | yakṣāś ca rākṣasāś caiva piśācāś ca viśāmpate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa), Śuka, and Kṛṣṇa—Madhusūdana—along with Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Piśācas, O lord of men.” The narration gathers revered sages and powerful non-human beings together, suggesting a vast moral and cosmic witness to the events of the war—where dharma is tested not only before kings and warriors, but before the wider order of beings as well.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that the Mahābhārata’s moral crisis is witnessed on multiple levels: by authoritative sages (Vyāsa, Śuka), by Kṛṣṇa as a guiding divine presence, and even by classes of non-human beings. This widens the ethical frame—human actions in war reverberate through the cosmic and social order.
Vaiśampāyana lists prominent figures and groups—Vyāsa, Śuka, Kṛṣṇa, and various supernatural beings—indicating their presence or relevance to the unfolding events in the Shalya Parva context, where the war’s decisive and morally charged episodes are being recounted.
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