Shloka 19
Uttanka’s Viśvarūpa Request and the ‘Uttanka Clouds’ Boon (उत्तङ्क-विष्वरूप-दर्शनम्)
भूगुकुलको आनन्द प्रदान करनेवाले महर्षे! जब मैं गन्धर्व-योनिमें प्रकट होता हूँ, तब मेरे सारे आचार-विचार गन्धर्वोके ही समान होते हैं, इसमें संदेह नहीं है ।।
bhṛgukula-ko ānanda-pradāna karanevāle maharṣe! yadāhaṁ gandharva-yonau prakaṭo bhavāmi tadā mama sarve ācāra-vicārā gandharvāṇām ivaiva bhavanti, nātra saṁśayaḥ. nāga-yonau yadā caiva tadā vartāmi nāgavat | yakṣa-rākṣasa-yonyos tu yathāvad vicarāmy aham ||
Ô grand sage qui réjouis la lignée de Bhṛgu ! Lorsque je me manifeste dans la condition des Gandharvas, ma conduite et ma pensée deviennent semblables à celles des Gandharvas—sans aucun doute. Et lorsque je nais parmi les Nāgas, je me comporte comme un Nāga. De même, lorsque j’apparais parmi les Yakṣas ou les Rākṣasas, je me meus et j’agis en pleine conformité avec les usages et les dispositions de ces êtres-là.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that embodied beings tend to act according to the nature (svabhāva) and norms associated with the realm/species (yoni) in which they are born; conduct is shaped by the conditions of embodiment, so one’s behavior often mirrors the community and disposition of that birth.
Vāyudeva addresses a sage of the Bhṛgu lineage and explains that whenever he manifests in different classes of beings—Gandharvas, Nāgas, Yakṣas, or Rākṣasas—his behavior conforms to the characteristic conduct of that class, emphasizing the link between manifestation and mode of life.