Shloka 33
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
प्रतिलोमो5नुलोमश्न भवत्यथ शतक्रतुः । शुकवायसरूपी च हंसकोकिलरूपवान्,वे इन्द्र कभी अनुलोम संकरका रूप धारण करते हैं तो कभी विलोम संकरका। वे तोते, कौए, हंस और कोयलके रूपमें भी दिखायी देते हैं
pratilomo 'nulomaś ca bhavaty atha śatakratuḥ | śukavāyasarūpī ca haṃsakokilarūpavān ||
Bhishma berkata: “Śatakratu (Indra) ada kalanya mengambil rupa pratiloma dan ada kalanya anuloma (percampuran ikatan sosial), dan dia juga dilihat mengambil bentuk burung kakak tua dan gagak, serta muncul pula sebagai angsa dan burung kukuk.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even a great deity like Indra can appear in many guises and categories; therefore ethical judgment should not rest only on external form, labels, or birth-based classifications, but on deeper discernment of conduct and intent within dharma.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, cites Indra (Śatakratu) as an example of a being who assumes varied forms—linked here to anuloma/pratiloma categories and to bird-forms (parrot, crow, swan, cuckoo)—to illustrate the diversity and ambiguity of appearances in the world.