Shloka 5
Uttanka’s Guru-Śuśrūṣā and the Commission to Retrieve the Maṇikuṇḍalas (उत्तङ्क-गुरुशुश्रूषा तथा मणिकुण्डल-आदेशः)
स ददर्श महात्मानं विश्वरूपं महाभुजम् । सहस्रसूर्यप्रतिमं दीप्तिमत् पावकोपमम्
sa dadarśa mahātmānaṃ viśvarūpaṃ mahābhujam | sahasrasūryapratimaṃ dīptimat pāvakopamam ||
உத்தங்கன் அந்த மகாத்மாவின் விஸ்வரூபத்தை கண்டான்—அது மாபெரும் புஜங்களால் விளங்கியது; ஆயிரம் சூரியர்களைப் போல ஒளிர்ந்தது; கொழுந்தெழும் தீயைப் போல எரிந்தது.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the overwhelming supremacy of the cosmic/divine order: encountering the viśvarūpa evokes awe, humility, and ethical restraint, reminding a seeker that true authority and power ultimately belong to dharma upheld by the divine.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Uttanka receives a direct vision of a great being in universal form—mighty-armed and blazing with sun-like and fire-like radiance—marking a dramatic theophany within the Ashvamedhika Parva episode.