Shloka 8
Āpava
Vasiṣṭha) and the Vasus: the Kāmadhenu Theft and the Curse (Śaṃtanu–Gaṅgā Saṃvāda
सतां सकाशे तु वृतः प्रपात- स्ते संगता गुणवन्तस्तु सर्वे । शक्राच्च लब्धो हि वरो मयैष पतिष्यता भूमितल नरेन्द्र,नरेन्द्र! मैं जब इस पृथ्वीतलपर गिरनेवाला था, उस समय मैंने इन्द्रसे यह वर माँगा था कि मैं साधु पुरुषोंके समीप गिरूँ। वह वर मुझे मिला, जिसके कारण आप सब सदगुणी संतोंका संग प्राप्त हुआ
satāṃ sakāśe tu vṛtaḥ prapātas te saṃgatā guṇavantastu sarve | śakrāc ca labdho hi varo mayaiṣa patiṣyatā bhūmitala nareṃdra, nareṃdra ||
O König, als ich im Begriff war, zur Erde hinabzustürzen, wählte ich diese Gnade: dass mein Fall in Gegenwart der Tugendhaften geschehe. Indra gewährte sie mir; darum bin ich in die Gemeinschaft von euch allen gelangt—heiligen Männern, reich an guten Eigenschaften.
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical value of satsanga—seeking the company of the virtuous. Even in adversity (a ‘fall’), one should aspire to be near the good, because association with the righteous becomes a form of protection and moral uplift.
Aṣṭaka addresses a king and explains that when he was about to fall to the earth, he asked Indra (Śakra) for a boon to fall in the presence of saintly, virtuous people. That boon has borne fruit now, as he has come into the company of such good persons.