Shloka 16
Chapter 40: Śiva in Kirāta Disguise Tests Arjuna
Mūka-vadha and the Contest
नैतद् वेद महेन्द्रोडपि न यमो न च यक्षराट् वरुणो5प्यथवा वायु: कुतो वेत्स्यन्ति मानवा:,इसे देवराज इन्द्र, यम, यक्षराज कुबेर, वरुण अथवा वायुदेवता भी नहीं जानते। फिर साधारण मानव तो जान ही कैसे सकेंगे?
naitad veda mahendro 'pi na yamo na ca yakṣarāṭ | varuṇo 'py athavā vāyuḥ kuto vetsyanti mānavāḥ ||
ಭವನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಇದನ್ನು ಮಹೇಂದ್ರ (ಇಂದ್ರ)ನೂ ತಿಳಿಯನು; ಯಮನೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಯಕ್ಷರಾಜ ಕುಬೇರನೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ವರುಣನೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ವಾಯುದೇವನೂ ಸಹ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗಿರಲು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಮಾನವರು ಇದನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಬಲ್ಲರು?
भव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses epistemic humility: certain truths are so subtle or transcendent that even great deities are said not to grasp them fully; therefore humans should be cautious about claiming certainty and should rely on dharma, discipline, and proper guidance rather than pride in knowledge.
Bhava is emphasizing the extraordinary nature of the subject under discussion by listing major gods—Indra, Yama, Kubera, Varuṇa, and Vāyu—and declaring that even they do not know it; this rhetorical escalation underscores the speaker’s point and frames the matter as beyond ordinary human comprehension.