Shloka 52
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
मुष्टिं मुष्टिं तत: सर्वे दर्भाणां ते ह्युपाहरन् । तस्यासनार्थ विप्रर्षेर्बालस्यापि वशे स्थिता:
muṣṭiṁ muṣṭiṁ tataḥ sarve darbhāṇāṁ te hyupāharan | tasyāsanārthaṁ viprarṣer bālasyāpi vaśe sthitāḥ ||
ثم جاءوا جميعًا بحفنةٍ بعد حفنةٍ من عشب الدَّربها. فعلوا ذلك لإعداد مقعدٍ لذلك الحكيم البراهمني؛ ومع أنه لم يكن إلا غلامًا، ظلّوا تحت توجيهه—مُظهرين طاعةً منضبطة لسلطان الروح لا لمجرّد السنّ أو القوة الدنيوية.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic conduct: reverence and obedience are owed to spiritual qualification and ritual propriety, not merely to age or social power. Even a young sage, if worthy, is to be honored, and communal effort in sacred preparation is itself a form of disciplined righteousness.
A group collectively gathers darbha grass in repeated handfuls to fashion a proper ritual seat for a brahmin-sage. They submit to his guidance, emphasizing that the setting is one of ritual order and acknowledged spiritual authority.