Shloka 29
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
किरीटी वज्रधृग् धन्वी मुकुटी बद्धकुण्डल:
kirīṭī vajradhṛg dhanvī mukuṭī baddhakuṇḍalaḥ | bāla! te kadācit mastake kirīṭa-mukuṭaṃ karṇayoḥ kuṇḍale ca hastayoś ca vajraṃ dhanuś ca dhārayitvā yānti, kadācit tuika-muhūrtena caṇḍāla-sadṛśā dṛśyante; punaś ca śikhā-jaṭā-cīra-vastra-dhāriṇo ṛṣaya iva bhavanti ||
भीष्म उवाच—पुत्रक! कदाचित् ते किरीटिनो वज्रधृग्धन्विनो मुकुटिनो बद्धकुण्डलाः शिरसि किरीटमुकुटं कर्णयोः कुण्डले च धारयन्तो हस्तयोर्वज्रं धनुश्च वहन्ति; कदाचित् पुनरेवैकस्मिन् मुहूर्ते चाण्डालसमदर्शनाः प्रादुर्भवन्ति; पुनश्च शिखिनो जटिनश्चीरवाससो मुनय इव भवन्ति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
External marks—royal ornaments, weapons, or ascetic dress—can change quickly and may mislead. Ethical discernment should rest on conduct and adherence to dharma rather than on appearance or social labeling.
Bhishma describes beings (or persons) whose outward forms shift dramatically: sometimes like crowned warriors with weapons, sometimes like outcastes, and sometimes like sages in ascetic attire—highlighting the instability of outward identity and the need for careful moral judgment.