Shloka 16
Vivāha-dharma: Kanyā-pradāna, Śulka, and Pāṇigrahaṇa-niṣṭhā (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४४)
पुरन्दरश्न तत्रस्थो बभूव विमना भृशम् | स तद्वैकृतमालक्ष्य देवराजो विशाम्पते
Purandaraś ca tatrastho babhūva vimanā bhṛśam | sa tad-vaikṛtam ālakṣya devarājo viśāmpate sahasranetro divya-dṛṣṭyā tasyābhimukhaṃ dadarśa | tataḥ śarīrāntar-gataṃ vipulaṃ muniparam asya dṛṣṭiḥ samapadyata |
Bhishma said: Indra (Purandara), standing there, became deeply dejected on hearing those words. O lord of the people, noticing the change in his inner state and the disturbance of his mind, Indra—the thousand-eyed king of the gods—looked toward him with divine sight. Then his gaze fell upon a great and eminent sage dwelling within that person’s body.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical discernment: outward demeanor can conceal deeper realities, and true judgment requires insight into inner states. Indra’s divine sight symbolizes the need to look beyond surface reactions and perceive the hidden presence of virtue or spiritual power.
Indra, hearing a prior statement, becomes deeply troubled. Observing a visible change in the other person’s mental condition, he uses divine vision to examine the situation and then perceives a great sage residing within that person’s body, indicating a concealed spiritual presence influencing events.