Shloka 2
Svargārohaṇa-parva, Adhyāya 4 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Vision of the Celestial Assembly
Recognition and Explanation
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर देवताओं, ऋषियों और मरुद्गणोंके मुँहसे अपनी प्रशंसा सुनते हुए राजा युधिष्ठिर क्रमश: उस स्थानपर जा पहुँचे जहाँ वे कुरुश्रेष्ठ भीमसेन और अर्जुन आदि विराजमान थे ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | janamejaya! tad-anantaraṃ devatānāṃ ṛṣīṇāṃ ca marudgaṇānāṃ ca mukhāt sva-praśaṃsāṃ śṛṇvan rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ krameṇa tat-sthānaṃ prāpa yatra te kuruśreṣṭhā bhīmasena-arjunādayo virājamānā āsan || dadarśa tatra govindaṃ brāhmaṇena vapuṣānvitam | tenaiva dṛṣṭa-pūrveṇa sādṛśyenāiva sūcitam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „O Janamejaya, danach schritt König Yudhiṣṭhira—während er aus dem Munde der Götter, der ṛṣi und der Scharen der Maruts sein eigenes Lob vernahm—Stufe um Stufe zu dem Ort, wo die Vornehmsten der Kurus, Bhīmasena, Arjuna und die anderen, in Glanz versammelt saßen. Dort erblickte er Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), ausgestattet mit einer Brahmanen-Gestalt; und an der Ähnlichkeit mit dem, was er zuvor gesehen hatte, erkannte er Ihn.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even at the culmination of life’s journey, true discernment recognizes the Divine beyond outward appearance. Kṛṣṇa’s brāhmaṇa-form underscores that spiritual authority and divine presence are not confined to royal or martial splendor; dharma is honored through humility, right recognition, and inner vision.
After hearing celestial beings praise him, Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds to the place where Bhīma, Arjuna, and others are present. There he sees Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) appearing in a brāhmaṇa-like form and identifies Him by the familiar resemblance to how he had known Him before.