Shloka 6
Vipula’s Guru-Obedience, Divine Flowers, and the Peril of Others’ Oaths (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—पुष्पप्राप्तिः शपथ-प्रसङ्गश्च)
गावो नवतृणानीव गृह्नन्त्येता नवं नवम् | शम्बरस्य च या माया माया या नमुचेरपि
gāvo navatṛṇānīva gṛhṇanty etā navaṁ navam | śambarasya ca yā māyā māyā yā namucer api ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Estas (artes de engaño) se toman una y otra vez, siempre de nuevo, como las vacas que siguen tomando hierba fresca. Así era también la hechicería de Śambara, y así también la hechicería de Namuci».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira highlights how deceptive practices (māyā) are repeatedly reinvented and adopted, appearing ever new; ethically, this warns a ruler or moral agent to stay vigilant and discerning, since harmful stratagems can return in fresh forms.
In the course of instruction and reflection in Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira comments on recurring patterns of illusion and trickery, illustrating his point by invoking well-known Asura exemplars—Śambara and Namuci—whose ‘māyā’ is proverbial.