Mbh 5.15.5

Mahabharata · translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli

“‘The illustrious Vrihaspati then said to her, “Very good, thou needst not, O goddess, fear, Nahusha of vicious soul. Surely, he shall not long retain his power. The wretch, in fact, is already gone, being regardless of virtue and because, O lovely dame, of his employing the great saints to carry him. And I shall perform a sacrifice for the destruction of this vicious wretch, and I shall find out Indra. Thou needst not fear. Fare thee well.” And Vrihaspati of great power then kindled a fire in the prescribed form, and put the very best offerings upon it in order to ascertain where the king of the gods was. And having put his offerings, O king, he said to the Fire, “Search out Indra.” And thereupon that revered god, the eater of burnt offerings, assumed of his own accord a wonderful feminine form and vanished from sight at that very spot. And endued with speed of the mind, he searched everywhere, mountains and forests, earth and sky, and came back to Vrihaspati within the twinkling of the eye. And Agni said, “Vrihaspati, nowhere in these places do I find the king of the gods. The waters alone remain to be searched. I am always backward in entering the waters. I have no ingress therein. O Brahmana, what I am to do for thee.” The preceptor of the gods then said to him, “O illustrious god, do thou enter the water.”

Mbh 5.15.5 · Mahabharata · UDYOGA PARVA

Themes in this passage

Leadership Nature The Divine Fear Strength Dharma Loneliness The Soul

Leadership in other traditions

The same theme, as Christianity, Taoism and Hellenism address it.

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Joshua 10:23 · Bible · Joshua

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Tao Te Ching 75.2 · Tao Te Ching

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Iliad 2.22 · Iliad · 2

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