Shloka 2
Parāśara’s Counsel on बुद्धि (Discernment), Karma-Consequences, and Avoidance of Pāpānubandha Actions
दुर्विज्ञेयं पद तात विष्णोरमिततेजस: । कथं वा राजशार्दूल पदं तु ज्ञातवानसौ
durvijñeyaṁ padaṁ tāta viṣṇor amitatejasaḥ | kathaṁ vā rājaśārdūla padaṁ tu jñātavān asau, tāta ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang terkasih, kedudukan tertinggi Viṣṇu yang bersinar tak terukur amat sukar dipahami. Maka, wahai harimau di antara para raja, bagaimana Vṛtrāsura mengetahui kediaman tertinggi itu? Ini sungguh mengherankan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that realization of Viṣṇu’s supreme abode is not easily attained by mere intellect or status; it invites reflection on how profound devotion, surrender, or divine grace can grant even an unlikely being access to the highest spiritual knowledge.
Yudhiṣṭhira, hearing about Vṛtrāsura’s spiritual attainment, expresses amazement and asks how Vṛtrāsura could have known the difficult-to-realize supreme state of Viṣṇu, setting up an explanation about the means to such realization.