Shloka 18
अर्हणनिर्णयः
Decision on the Highest Honor at the Assembly
यस्य बाहुबल सेन्द्रा: सुरा: सर्व उपासते । सो<यं मानुषवन्नाम हरिरास्तेडरिमर्दन:,“इन्द्र आदि सम्पूर्ण देवता जिनके बाहुबलकी उपासना करते हैं, वे ही शत्रुमर्दन श्रीहरि यहाँ मनुष्यके समान बैठे हैं
yasya bāhubalaṃ sendrāḥ surāḥ sarva upāsate | so 'yaṃ mānuṣavan nāma harir āste 'rimardanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “He whose might of arm is revered by all the gods, Indra included—he, the enemy-crushing Hari, is seated here, bearing a human name and appearing as a man.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of the divine choosing to appear in ordinary human form: the one revered by the gods is present among humans without outward display, suggesting that true greatness can be veiled by humility and that recognition of dharma requires discernment beyond appearances.
In the Sabha Parva context, Vaiśampāyana underscores that Hari—acknowledged even by Indra and the gods for his supreme power—is present in the royal assembly in a human guise, emphasizing his concealed divinity and formidable capacity to subdue enemies.