Shloka 2
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
कैरातं वेषमास्थाय काठ्चनद्रुमसंनिभम् । विभ्राजमानो विपुलो गिरिमेंरुरिवापर:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! उन सब तपस्वी महात्माओंके चले जानेपर सर्वपापहारी, पिनाक-पाणि, भगवान् शंकर किरातवेष धारण करके सुवर्णमय वृक्षके सदृश दिव्य कान्तिसे उद्धासित होने लगे। उनका शरीर दूसरे मेरुपर्वतके समान दीप्तिमान् और विशाल था
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—kairātaṁ veṣam āsthāya kāñcanadruma-sannibham | vibhrājamāno vipulo giri-merur ivāparaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Depois que aqueles sábios ascetas partiram, Śaṅkara—destruidor do pecado, portador do arco Pināka—assumiu o traje de um Kirāta (caçador das montanhas). Com um esplendor divino como o de uma árvore de ouro, ele resplandeceu: vasto e ardente, como outro Monte Meru. A cena ressalta que o divino pode tomar formas humildes para provar, guiar e sustentar o dharma, sem perder a suprema majestade.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the divine can assume ordinary or unexpected forms to accomplish righteous purposes; outward appearance may conceal supreme power, and true dharma-discernment requires humility and reverence beyond externals.
After the sages leave, Śiva appears on the scene in the guise of a Kirāta (mountain hunter), yet he is described as dazzling like a golden tree and immense like another Mount Meru—signaling a concealed theophany that will shape the ensuing events.