Shloka 2
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
शक्रो हाज्ञातरूपेण जटी भूत्वा रजोगुण: । विरूपं रथमास्थाय प्रश्न॑ पप्रच्छ शम्बरम्
śakro ha ajñāta-rūpeṇa jaṭī bhūtvā rajo-guṇaḥ | virūpaṃ ratham āsthāya praśnaṃ papraccha śambaram ||
Bhishma dit : Un jour, Shakra (Indra), prenant un déguisement méconnaissable, devint un ascète aux cheveux emmêlés, marqué par la qualité de rajas. Monté sur un char disgracieux, il se rendit auprès de l’asura Shambara et, arrivé devant lui, lui posa une question—ouvrant ainsi une épreuve de compréhension et de conduite plutôt qu’une démonstration de force.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic method of engagement: wisdom is often elicited through questioning and testing rather than through overt power. Indra’s disguise suggests that truth and ethical insight can be sought without reliance on status, and that one’s conduct is revealed when confronted by the unexpected.
Bhishma narrates that Indra (Shakra) takes on an unrecognized ascetic form with matted hair, rides an ungainly chariot, approaches the asura Shambara, and begins the episode by asking him a question.