शुकस्य मिथिलागमनम् (Śukasya Mithilāgamanam) — Śuka’s Journey to Mithilā and the Courtly Test
चतुर्विधं महीपाल निर्दहत्याशु तेजसा | जरायुजाण्डजस्वेदजोद्धिज्जं च नराधिप
caturvidhaṃ mahīpāla nirdahaty āśu tejasā | jarāyujāṇḍajasvedajodbhijjaṃ ca narādhipa ||
ਯਾਜ्ञਵਲਕ੍ਯ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਹੇ ਨਰਾਧਿਪ! ਆਪਣੇ ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡ ਤੇਜ ਨਾਲ ਉਹ ਤੁਰੰਤ ਚਾਰ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਾੜ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ—ਜਰਾਯੁਜ, ਅੰਡਜ, ਸਵੇਦਜ ਅਤੇ ਉਦਭਿਜ਼।
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
The verse underscores the overwhelming force of tejas (fiery energy/power): it can swiftly destroy all categories of embodied life, reminding the listener of the fragility of beings and the need for restraint, discernment, and dharmic conduct in wielding power.
Yājñavalkya addresses a king and describes how a powerful, blazing force rapidly consumes living beings of every traditional birth-category (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and earth-sprout-born), as part of a broader instruction on the nature and effects of potent energies.