Shloka 2
Svargārohaṇa-parva, Adhyāya 4 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Vision of the Celestial Assembly
Recognition and Explanation
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर देवताओं, ऋषियों और मरुद्गणोंके मुँहसे अपनी प्रशंसा सुनते हुए राजा युधिष्ठिर क्रमश: उस स्थानपर जा पहुँचे जहाँ वे कुरुश्रेष्ठ भीमसेन और अर्जुन आदि विराजमान थे ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | janamejaya! tad-anantaraṃ devatānāṃ ṛṣīṇāṃ ca marudgaṇānāṃ ca mukhāt sva-praśaṃsāṃ śṛṇvan rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ krameṇa tat-sthānaṃ prāpa yatra te kuruśreṣṭhā bhīmasena-arjunādayo virājamānā āsan || dadarśa tatra govindaṃ brāhmaṇena vapuṣānvitam | tenaiva dṛṣṭa-pūrveṇa sādṛśyenāiva sūcitam ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Janamejaya, setelah itu Raja Yudhiṣṭhira—sambil mendengar pujian bagi dirinya dari para dewa, para resi, dan rombongan Marut—melangkah maju setahap demi setahap hingga sampai ke tempat para utama Kuru, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, dan yang lain, duduk dalam kemuliaan. Di sana ia melihat Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) berwujud brāhmaṇa; dan dari kemiripan dengan yang pernah ia lihat sebelumnya, ia pun mengenali-Nya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even at the culmination of life’s journey, true discernment recognizes the Divine beyond outward appearance. Kṛṣṇa’s brāhmaṇa-form underscores that spiritual authority and divine presence are not confined to royal or martial splendor; dharma is honored through humility, right recognition, and inner vision.
After hearing celestial beings praise him, Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds to the place where Bhīma, Arjuna, and others are present. There he sees Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) appearing in a brāhmaṇa-like form and identifies Him by the familiar resemblance to how he had known Him before.