Shloka 16
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
युधिछिर उवाच उद्यता यज्ञभागा हि साक्षात् प्राप्ता: सुरैरिह । किमर्थमिह न प्राप्तो दर्शनं स हरिरविंभु:,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! जब सभी देवताओंने प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन देकर अपने-अपने भाग ग्रहण किये, तब भगवान् विष्णुने उस यज्ञमें पधारकर भी क्यों प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन नहीं दिया?
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: udyatā yajñabhāgā hi sākṣāt prāptāḥ surair iha | kimartham iha na prāpto darśanaṃ sa Harir Avimbhuḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Here, the gods themselves visibly came and received their allotted shares of the sacrifice. For what reason, then, did that Hari—Vishnu, the self-existent Lord—not grant his direct appearance in this sacrifice?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a theological-ethical inquiry: ritual correctness and even divine participation by many gods do not automatically guarantee the supreme Lord’s visible presence. It invites reflection on the conditions for true divine ‘darśana’—such as inner purity, intention, and the Lord’s independent will—beyond mere external performance.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) about a sacrificial event: the gods came in person and took their offerings, yet Vishnu/Hari did not grant a direct appearance. Yudhiṣṭhira asks the reason for this difference.