Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 12
Purukutsa’s Rasātala Victory; Triśaṅku and Hariścandra; Rohita and Śunaḥśepha
दन्ता जाता यजस्वेति स प्रत्याहाथ सोऽब्रवीत् । यदा पतन्त्यस्य दन्ता अथ मेध्यो भवेदिति ॥ १२ ॥
dantā jātā yajasveti sa pratyāhātha so ’bravīt yadā patanty asya dantā atha medhyo bhaved iti
When the teeth grew, Varuṇa came and said to Hariścandra, “Now the animal has grown teeth, and you can perform the sacrifice.” Hariścandra replied, “When all its teeth have fallen out, then it will be fit for sacrifice.”
FAQs
This verse uses the term medhya to indicate eligibility for sacrificial offering, showing that ritual fitness is defined by specific Vedic conditions—and here the king postpones the act by setting a condition about the child’s teeth.
Because the priests urged immediate performance once the teeth appeared, and the king replied by imposing a later condition—delaying the sacrifice within the narrative’s moral tension between ritual demand and protective kingship.
It highlights thoughtful restraint: when pressured to act quickly, one can respond with discernment and timing rather than impulsively following external demands.