Shloka 5
Brahmaṇānāṃ Yācanā—Tīrtha-yātrā-prastāvaḥ
The Brahmanas’ Petition and the Proposal of Pilgrimage
संचरजन्नस्मि कौन्तेय सर्वाल्लॉकान् यदृच्छया । गत: शक्रस्य भवन तत्रापश्य॑ सुरेश्वरम्,“कुन्तीनन्दन! मैं यों ही इच्छानुसार सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें विचरण करता हूँ। एक दिन मैं इन्द्रके भवनमें गया और वहाँ देवराज इन्द्रसे मिला
sañcarajann asmi kaunteya sarvāl lokān yadṛcchayā | gataḥ śakrasya bhavanaṃ tatrāpaśyaṃ sureśvaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O son of Kuntī, I have been wandering freely through all the worlds as chance allowed. On one occasion I went to Śakra’s abode, and there I beheld the lord of the gods, Indra.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the motif of providential movement (yadṛcchayā): events unfold through unforced circumstance, leading the seeker/narrator into contact with higher authority (Indra). Ethically, it frames later instruction as grounded in a legitimate encounter with divine order rather than mere personal opinion.
Vaiśampāyana reports that he (or the speaking narrator within the episode) roamed across various realms and, in the course of that wandering, reached Indra’s palace, where he met and saw Indra, the king of the gods—setting up a forthcoming dialogue or revelation.