Shloka 3
वसूनां वा भवानेको रुद्राणामथवा भवान् | अथवा मरुतां श्रेष्ठो वज्नी वा त्रिदशेश्वर:,आप वसुओंमेंसे, रुद्रोमेंसे अथवा मरुदगणोंमेंसे कोई एक श्रेष्ठ पुरुष तो नहीं हैं? अथवा आप स्वयं वजधारी देवराज इन्द्र ही हैं?
vasūnāṃ vā bhavān eko rudrāṇām athavā bhavān | athavā marutāṃ śreṣṭho vajrī vā tridaśeśvaraḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira bertanya dengan takzim dan hairan: “Adakah tuan salah seorang daripada para Vasu, atau salah seorang daripada para Rudra? Atau tuan yang terunggul antara para Marut? Atau tuan sendiri Vajrī—Indra, penguasa tiga puluh tiga dewa?”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic humility: when confronted with extraordinary presence, one should respond with respect and discernment, seeking the true identity so that one’s speech and actions remain appropriate and righteous.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an awe-inspiring figure and, struck by the person’s majesty, wonders whether he is a divine being—one of the Vasus, Rudras, or Maruts—or even Indra himself, the thunderbolt-wielding king of the gods.