Mahabharata 3.39.40 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 40
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
को<यं देवो भवेत् साक्षाद् रुद्रो यक्ष: सुरोडसुर: । विद्यते हि गिरिश्रेष्ठे त्रिदशानां समागम:
ko ’yaṃ devo bhavet sākṣād rudro yakṣaḥ suro ’suraḥ | vidyate hi giriśreṣṭhe tridaśānāṃ samāgamaḥ ||
हा कोण आहे? साक्षात् भगवान् रुद्रदेव तर नाही—की यक्ष, देव किंवा असुर? कारण या श्रेष्ठ पर्वतावर त्रिदश देवांचे येणे-जाणे व समागम होत असतो.
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and reverence when encountering the unknown: extraordinary presence should be approached with humility, recognizing that sacred places are arenas where divine and otherworldly beings may appear.
The Kirāta, seeing a remarkable figure on a renowned mountain frequented by the gods, wonders aloud about the being’s identity—whether it is Rudra himself or some other celestial or powerful class of being.
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