Shloka 19
ययातिपतनम् — Yayāti’s Fall and the Offer of Dharma
Nārada’s Account
कर्मणा केन सिद्धो<5यं क््व वानेन तपश्चितम् । कथं वा ज्ञायते स्वर्गे केन वा ज्ञायतेडप्युत
karmaṇā kena siddho ’yaṃ kva vānena tapaś citam | kathaṃ vā jñāyate svarge kena vā jñāyate ’py uta ||
নাৰদ ক’লে— “কোন কৰ্মে এইজন সাফল্য লাভ কৰিলে? কোন অৰণ্যত তপস্যা কৰিলে? স্বৰ্গত তেওঁক কেনেকৈ চিনা যায়—অথবা ইয়াত সঁচাকৈ কোনে তেওঁক জানে?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Visible success or honor should be traced back to its moral and spiritual causes—right action (karma) and disciplined austerity (tapas). The verse urges discernment: do not accept fame at face value; ask what virtues and practices produced it and who can truly attest to it.
Nārada raises a probing set of questions about a person’s attained ‘siddhi’ (accomplishment): what deeds earned it, where austerities were performed, and how such a person is known in heaven or among people. The tone is investigative, challenging assumptions and demanding a clear account of merit.