Shloka 513
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
सगणो दैवतश्रेष्ठस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । महाराज! ऐसा कहकर कृत्तिवासा, महातेजस्वी, वृषभवाहन तथा वरणीय सुरश्रेष्ठ भगवान् महेश्वर अपने गणोंके साथ वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये
sagaṇo daivataśreṣṭhas tatraivāntaradhīyata |
Mandavya sprach: „Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, verschwand Mahēśvara—der Höchste unter den Göttern, der große Strahlende, der Stier-Reiter, in eine Haut gekleidet—an eben diesem Ort zusammen mit seinen Gefolgschaften (gaṇas).“
माण्डव्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemnity of divine instruction: once the Lord has spoken, he withdraws, implying that ethical responsibility now rests with the hearer. The disappearance marks closure of revelation and calls for practice of dharma rather than mere admiration of the divine.
After delivering his words, Maheshvara (Śiva)—described by epithets such as Kṛttivāsā and Vṛṣabhavāhana—vanishes on the spot along with his gaṇas, ending the immediate divine encounter witnessed or reported by Māṇḍavya.