Shloka 29
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
किरीटी वज्रधृग् धन्वी मुकुटी बद्धकुण्डल:
kirīṭī vajradhṛg dhanvī mukuṭī baddhakuṇḍalaḥ | bāla! te kadācit mastake kirīṭa-mukuṭaṃ karṇayoḥ kuṇḍale ca hastayoś ca vajraṃ dhanuś ca dhārayitvā yānti, kadācit tuika-muhūrtena caṇḍāla-sadṛśā dṛśyante; punaś ca śikhā-jaṭā-cīra-vastra-dhāriṇo ṛṣaya iva bhavanti ||
毗湿摩说道：“孩子啊，有时他们显现为戴冠的武士——头戴冠冕，耳佩耳环，手执金刚杵与弓。可有时又在一瞬之间，外貌竟如旃陀罗（被弃之人）。再过片刻，他们又化作仙圣——或束顶髻，或披结发（jata），身着树皮之衣。其形相如此变幻，使凡俗之见难以裁断，催人越过外表而观其行与法（dharma）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
External marks—royal ornaments, weapons, or ascetic dress—can change quickly and may mislead. Ethical discernment should rest on conduct and adherence to dharma rather than on appearance or social labeling.
Bhishma describes beings (or persons) whose outward forms shift dramatically: sometimes like crowned warriors with weapons, sometimes like outcastes, and sometimes like sages in ascetic attire—highlighting the instability of outward identity and the need for careful moral judgment.