Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 513
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
सगणो दैवतश्रेष्ठस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । महाराज! ऐसा कहकर कृत्तिवासा, महातेजस्वी, वृषभवाहन तथा वरणीय सुरश्रेष्ठ भगवान् महेश्वर अपने गणोंके साथ वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये
sagaṇo daivataśreṣṭhas tatraivāntaradhīyata |
Sinabi ni Mandavya: “Pagkasabi niya nang gayon, ang pinakadakilang Panginoon sa mga diyos—si Mahēśvara, ang dakila at maningning, ang may sasakyang toro, ang nakabalot sa balat—ay naglaho roon din, kasama ang kanyang mga gaṇa.”
माण्डव्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemnity of divine instruction: once the Lord has spoken, he withdraws, implying that ethical responsibility now rests with the hearer. The disappearance marks closure of revelation and calls for practice of dharma rather than mere admiration of the divine.
After delivering his words, Maheshvara (Śiva)—described by epithets such as Kṛttivāsā and Vṛṣabhavāhana—vanishes on the spot along with his gaṇas, ending the immediate divine encounter witnessed or reported by Māṇḍavya.