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 ।। ददर्श तत्र गोविन्द ब्राह्ेण वपुषान्वितम् तेनैव दृष्टपूर्वेण सादृश्येनिव सूचितम्,वहाँ जाकर उन्होंने देखा कि भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण अपने ब्राह्मविग्रहसे सम्पन्न हैं। पहलेके देखे गये सादृश्यसे ही वे पहचाने जाते हैं
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 ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, thereafter King Yudhiṣṭhira—hearing his own praises spoken by the gods, the seers, and the hosts of the Maruts—advanced step by step to the place where the foremost Kurus, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, and the others were seated in splendor. There he beheld Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), endowed with a brāhmaṇa-form; and by the resemblance to what he had seen before, he recognized Him.”
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.