Shloka 16
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
युधिछिर उवाच उद्यता यज्ञभागा हि साक्षात् प्राप्ता: सुरैरिह । किमर्थमिह न प्राप्तो दर्शनं स हरिरविंभु:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: udyatā yajñabhāgā hi sākṣāt prāptāḥ surair iha | kimartham iha na prāpto darśanaṃ sa Harir Avimbhuḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Hier kamen die Götter selbst sichtbar und nahmen ihre zugeteilten Opferanteile entgegen. Aus welchem Grund gewährte dann jener Hari—Viṣṇu, der aus sich selbst bestehende Herr—bei diesem Opfer keine unmittelbare Erscheinung?“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a theological-ethical inquiry: ritual correctness and even divine participation by many gods do not automatically guarantee the supreme Lord’s visible presence. It invites reflection on the conditions for true divine ‘darśana’—such as inner purity, intention, and the Lord’s independent will—beyond mere external performance.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) about a sacrificial event: the gods came in person and took their offerings, yet Vishnu/Hari did not grant a direct appearance. Yudhiṣṭhira asks the reason for this difference.