Shloka 40
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
को<यं देवो भवेत् साक्षाद् रुद्रो यक्ष: सुरोडसुर: । विद्यते हि गिरिश्रेष्ठे त्रिदशानां समागम:,“यह कौन है? साक्षात् भगवान् रुद्रदेव, यक्ष, देवता अथवा असुर तो नहीं है। इस श्रेष्ठ पर्वतपर देवताओंका आना-जाना होता रहता है
ko ’yaṃ devo bhavet sākṣād rudro yakṣaḥ suro ’suraḥ | vidyate hi giriśreṣṭhe tridaśānāṃ samāgamaḥ ||
Dijo el Kirāta: «¿Quién es este ser? ¿Será acaso el propio Señor Rudra en persona—tal vez un Yakṣa, un dios, o incluso un Asura? Pues en esta montaña, la más excelsa, hay en verdad frecuente reunión y tránsito de los treinta y tres dioses».
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and reverence when encountering the unknown: extraordinary presence should be approached with humility, recognizing that sacred places are arenas where divine and otherworldly beings may appear.
The Kirāta, seeing a remarkable figure on a renowned mountain frequented by the gods, wonders aloud about the being’s identity—whether it is Rudra himself or some other celestial or powerful class of being.