Mahabharata 3.39.40 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 40
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
को<यं देवो भवेत् साक्षाद् रुद्रो यक्ष: सुरोडसुर: । विद्यते हि गिरिश्रेष्ठे त्रिदशानां समागम:
ko ’yaṃ devo bhavet sākṣād rudro yakṣaḥ suro ’suraḥ | vidyate hi giriśreṣṭhe tridaśānāṃ samāgamaḥ ||
Der Kirāta sprach: „Wer ist dieses Wesen? Ist es etwa der Herr Rudra selbst, leibhaftig—vielleicht ein Yakṣa, ein Gott oder gar ein Asura? Denn auf diesem besten aller Berge gibt es wahrlich häufiges Zusammenkommen und Vorüberziehen der dreiunddreißig Götter.“
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and reverence when encountering the unknown: extraordinary presence should be approached with humility, recognizing that sacred places are arenas where divine and otherworldly beings may appear.
The Kirāta, seeing a remarkable figure on a renowned mountain frequented by the gods, wonders aloud about the being’s identity—whether it is Rudra himself or some other celestial or powerful class of being.
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