Shloka 69
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
महादेवप्रपन्नानां न भयं विद्यते क्वचित् । “केशव! कीट, पतंग, पक्षी तथा पशु भी यदि महादेवजीकी शरणमें आ जाया तो उन्हें भी कहीं किसीका भय नहीं प्राप्त होता है ।।
vāyudeva uvāca | mahādevaprapannānāṁ na bhayaṁ vidyate kvacit | keśava! kīṭa-pataṅga-pakṣī tathā paśavo 'pi yadi mahādevasya śaraṇaṁ prapadyeran, teṣāṁ kvacid api kasyacid bhayaṁ na prāpnoti | evam eva mahādevaṁ ye bhaktā mānavā bhuvi, te saṁsārasyādhīnā na bhavanti—iti me niścitaṁ matam | tadanantaraṁ bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaḥ svayam api dharmaputraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram uvāca |
Vāyudeva disse: “Para aqueles que tomaram refúgio em Mahādeva, o medo não se encontra em lugar algum. Ó Keśava, mesmo que insetos, mariposas, aves e feras se acolham sob a proteção de Mahādeva, nenhum temor vindo de quem quer que seja os alcança. Do mesmo modo, os seres humanos nesta terra que são devotos de Mahādeva não ficam sujeitos ao cativeiro da existência mundana—esta é minha convicção firmada.” Depois disso, o próprio Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa falou a Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Surrender to Mahādeva is presented as a source of fearlessness: even the weakest beings are said to become free from fear when under his refuge. For humans, devotion implies not being ruled by saṁsāra—i.e., not being spiritually enslaved by worldly conditions and anxieties.
Vāyudeva addresses Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), praising the protective power of taking refuge in Mahādeva and asserting that Mahādeva’s devotees are not subject to worldly bondage. The passage then transitions: Kṛṣṇa proceeds to speak directly to Yudhiṣṭhira in the ongoing dharma instruction.