Shloka 2
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
शक्रो हाज्ञातरूपेण जटी भूत्वा रजोगुण: । विरूपं रथमास्थाय प्रश्न॑ पप्रच्छ शम्बरम्,एक समयकी बात है, देवराज इन्द्र अज्ञातरूपसे रजोगुणसम्पन्न जटाधारी तपस्वी बनकर एक बेडौल रथपर सवार हो शम्बरासुरके पास गये। वहाँ पहुँचकर उन्होंने उससे पूछा
śakro ha ajñāta-rūpeṇa jaṭī bhūtvā rajo-guṇaḥ | virūpaṃ ratham āsthāya praśnaṃ papraccha śambaram ||
Bhishma said: Once, Shakra (Indra), assuming an unrecognized disguise, became a matted-haired ascetic marked by the quality of rajas. Mounting an ungainly chariot, he went to the asura Shambara and, on reaching him, put a question—setting the stage for a test of understanding and conduct rather than a display of force.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic method of engagement: wisdom is often elicited through questioning and testing rather than through overt power. Indra’s disguise suggests that truth and ethical insight can be sought without reliance on status, and that one’s conduct is revealed when confronted by the unexpected.
Bhishma narrates that Indra (Shakra) takes on an unrecognized ascetic form with matted hair, rides an ungainly chariot, approaches the asura Shambara, and begins the episode by asking him a question.