Shloka 59
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एतान्यत्यदभुतान्येव कर्माण्यथ महात्मन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | etāny atyadbhutāny eva karmāṇy atha mahātmanaḥ, yudhiṣṭhiraṃ dharmanidhiṃ puruhūtam iveśvaraḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: O Haring Janamejaya! Nang marinig ni Yudhiṣṭhira—anak ni Pāṇḍu, ingatang-yaman ng dharma—mula sa mga rishi ang tunay na pambihirang mga gawa ng dakilang-loob na Mahādeva, siya’y napuno ng pagkamangha. Pagkaraan, si Śrī Kṛṣṇa, pinakadakila sa mga pantas, ay nagsalita kay Yudhiṣṭhira sa paraang gaya ng pagsasalita ng Panginoong Viṣṇu kay Indra, ang madalas tawaging hari ng mga diyos—upang akayin siya sa mas malinaw na pag-unawa sa matuwid na asal sa pamamagitan ng pagkamangha, paggalang, at paghimay na may paghatol.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through reverent wonder: Yudhiṣṭhira’s amazement at Śiva’s extraordinary deeds becomes the doorway for Kṛṣṇa’s guidance. It suggests that dharma is best received with humility, attentiveness, and respect for divine exemplars, and that wise counsel should be delivered with the authority and clarity associated with divine instruction.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that, after hearing the sages’ account of Mahādeva’s marvelous acts, Yudhiṣṭhira is astonished. At that moment Kṛṣṇa—described as foremost among the wise—begins speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira, likened to the way Viṣṇu would address Indra.