Shloka 53
Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank
ग्रीवा चास्याभवद् राजन् कालरात्रिर्गुणोत्तरा एतद्धयशिर: कृत्वा नानामूर्तिभिरावृतम्
grīvā cāsyābhavad rājan kālarātrir guṇottarā | etad dhayaśiraḥ kṛtvā nānāmūrtibhir āvṛtam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “Ó rei, seu pescoço tornou-se Kālarātri, superando tudo em poder terrível. Tendo feito disso a sua cabeça, permaneceu envolto em muitas formas.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses terrifying, cosmic imagery to underscore the supremacy of Time and destruction (Kālarātri) as forces that overtake embodied forms; it cautions against pride in power and points toward humility and dharmic restraint in the face of inevitable dissolution.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a being (or manifestation) undergoing a fearsome transformation: its neck becomes Kālarātri, and with a horse-like head it appears shrouded in multiple forms, emphasizing a dreadful, many-shaped apparition.