Shloka 5
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
नीलाक्षस्तत्र नकुलो रुक्मपार्श्वस्तदानघ । वज्जाशनिसमं नादममुज्चद् वसुधाधिप
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
nīlākṣas tatra nakulo rukmapārśvas tadānagha |
vajrāśanisamaṃ nādam amuñcad vasudhādhipa ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Then, O sinless one, there appeared a mongoose with blue eyes and one side of its body golden. O lord of the earth, as soon as it arrived, it let out a single roar—terrible, like a thunderbolt—at that sacrifice, just as the acclaim of Yudhiṣṭhira’s great gifts was spreading in all directions.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a moral test: even when a king’s generosity is loudly praised, dharma requires scrutiny of inner worth and ethical completeness, not merely public acclaim. The mongoose’s thunder-like roar signals an impending evaluation of the sacrifice and the merit of giving.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha, after widespread praise of his gifts, a blue-eyed mongoose with one golden side arrives and emits a fearsome roar like a thunderbolt—an ominous interruption that introduces the famous mongoose episode.