Shloka 2
Kṛṣṇa’s Dhyāna and the Prompt to Question Bhīṣma (कृष्णध्यानं भीष्मप्रश्नप्रेरणा च)
चतुर्थ ध्यानमार्ग त्वमालम्ब्य पुरुषर्षभ । अपक्रान्तो यतो देवस्तेन मे विस्मितं मन:
caturtha-dhyāna-mārgaṁ tvam ālambya puruṣarṣabha | apakrānto yato devas tena me vismitaṁ manaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara manusia, setelah bersandar pada jalan meditasi yang keempat (turīya), engkau tampak seolah-olah menarik diri daripada kesedaran biasa seperti seorang dewa. Maka sebab itulah hatiku dipenuhi kehairanan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of inner withdrawal and steadiness: a great person may enter a ‘fourth’ contemplative mode beyond ordinary mental states, inspiring awe. It points to yogic self-mastery as a component of dharma and wise conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a revered figure (praised as ‘puruṣarṣabha’) who appears absorbed in deep meditation. Observing this unusual, godlike withdrawal, Yudhiṣṭhira expresses astonishment and implicitly seeks to understand the object and purpose of that contemplation.