Shloka 3
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
जहार धर्मराजानं यमौ कृष्णां च राक्षस: | ब्राह्मणो मन्त्रकुशलः सर्वशास्त्रविदुत्तम:
jahāra dharmarājānaṃ yamau kṛṣṇāṃ ca rākṣasaḥ | brāhmaṇo mantrakuśalaḥ sarvaśāstraviduttamaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Một rākṣasa đã bắt cóc Dharmarāja, hai anh em song sinh, và cả Kṛṣṇā nữa—(giả dạng) một brāhmaṇa tinh thông thần chú, bậc nhất trong những người am tường mọi śāstra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that adharma may masquerade as dharma: even a figure appearing as a learned brāhmaṇa, skilled in mantras and śāstras, can be a rākṣasa. Ethical vigilance requires judging conduct and intent, not merely external signs of piety or learning.
A rākṣasa abducts Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), the twin brothers (Nakula and Sahadeva), and Draupadī (called Kṛṣṇā), presenting himself as a brāhmaṇa renowned for mantra-skill and śāstra-learning—setting up a crisis driven by deception and concealment.