Shloka 17
Adhyaya 4 — Jaimini Meets the Dharmapakshis: Four Doubts on the Mahabharata and the Opening of Narayana Doctrine
पक्षिण ऊचुः अद्य नः सफलं जन्म जीवितञ्च सुजीवितम् ।
यत् पश्यामः सुरैर्वन्द्यं तव पादाम्बुजद्वयम् ॥
pakṣiṇa ūcuḥ adya naḥ saphalaṃ janma jīvitañ ca sujīvitam | yat paśyāmaḥ surair vandyaṃ tava pādāmbuja-dvayam ||
قالت الطيور: «اليوم صار مولدُنا مثمرًا، وصارت حياتُنا حقًّا حياةً مُحسَنة، لأننا نبصر زوجَ قدميك الشبيهتين باللوتس—قدمان تُوقَّران حتى عند الآلهة.»
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FAQs
The verse teaches that life becomes “successful” not merely through longevity or worldly gain, but through contact with sanctity—here expressed as darśana of a spiritually exalted person. Reverence (vandana) and humility are presented as dharmic virtues that refine the heart and reorient one’s life toward higher aims.
This verse belongs primarily to the Purāṇic frame-structure that supports instruction in dharma (ācāra/dharma-kathā) rather than directly to the five technical topics (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). Indirectly, it functions as a dharma-oriented passage emphasizing the fruit of satsanga and reverence.
“Lotus-feet” (pādāmbuja) is a classic symbol for the stable spiritual ‘ground’ that lifts one above saṃsāra’s turbulence. The birds—often read as embodiments of discerning intelligence—declare their existence fulfilled upon seeing that foundation. The phrase “revered by the gods” implies that true spiritual authority surpasses even celestial status, pointing to inner realization over rank.