Shloka 34
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
जज्ञे शैलगुरु: प्रांशुर्महिम्ना प्रथित: प्रभु: । नित्यमुद्विजते चास्य तेजस: पाकशासन:,वे पर्वतके समान भारी और ऊँचे थे। अपनी महत्ताके लिये वे सामर्थ्यशाली मुनि सर्वत्र विख्यात थे। पाकशासन इन्द्र उनके तेजसे सदा उद्विग्न रहते थे
jajñe śailaguruḥ prāṁśur mahimnā prathitaḥ prabhuḥ | nityam udvijate cāsya tejasaḥ pākaśāsanaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “There was born Śailaguru—lofty as a mountain, a mighty lord renowned everywhere for his greatness. And because of his blazing spiritual power, Pākaśāsana (Indra) remained continually uneasy and apprehensive.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and cosmic weight of ascetic ‘tejas’: spiritual discipline can generate a power that even gods must respect, reminding rulers (divine or human) that authority is not merely positional but must reckon with inner virtue and tapas.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the birth and stature of the sage Śailaguru—towering and widely renowned—and notes that Indra (Pākaśāsana) is continually unsettled by the sage’s formidable radiance and influence.