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 ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：阇那美阇耶王啊！般度之子、法之宝藏——由提希提罗——从诸仙人处听闻大心者摩诃提婆那真正奇绝的事迹，心中大为惊叹。随后，智者之冠室利·克里希那以如同主宰毗湿奴对天帝因陀罗——那位屡受祈请的诸神之王——说话的方式，开示由提希提罗，引他以敬畏、崇敬与明辨，更清晰地把握正法之道。
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.