Shloka 13
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 130: Kuntī’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Daṇḍanīti
रोमकूपेषु च तथा सूर्यस्येव मरीचय: । त॑ दृष्टवा घोरमात्मानं केशवस्य महात्मन:
romakūpeṣu ca tathā sūryasyeva marīcayaḥ | tāṃ dṛṣṭvā ghoram ātmānaṃ keśavasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: From every pore of the great-souled Keśava, rays flashed forth like the beams of the sun. Seeing that awe-inspiring, formidable manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, fear seized the assembled kings and they shut their eyes. Only a few—such as Droṇa, Bhīṣma, the supremely wise Vidura, the noble Sañjaya, and ascetic seers—were able to keep looking, for Janārdana himself granted them divine sight. The episode underscores that spiritual truth and divine power are not grasped by ordinary perception; clarity of vision is a gift earned by discipline, integrity, and divine grace.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The divine cannot be apprehended by ordinary senses; true perception requires inner fitness and, ultimately, grace. The kings’ fear and inability to look contrasts with those granted divya-dṛṣṭi, highlighting that moral and spiritual preparedness shapes what one can face and understand.
Kṛṣṇa reveals an awe-inspiring, radiant form from which sun-like rays stream. The gathered kings are overwhelmed and close their eyes, while select figures—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Vidura, Sañjaya, and ascetic seers—continue to behold it because Kṛṣṇa grants them divine sight.