Shloka 13
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानम् — Maṇi-Kuṇḍala Retrieval and Entry into Nāgaloka
Chapter 57
सौदास उवाच पत्न्यास्ते मम विप्रर्षे उचिते मणिकुण्डले । वरयार्थ त्वमन्यं वै तं ते दास्यामि सुव्रत
Saudāsa uvāca: patnyās te mama viprarṣe ucite maṇikuṇḍale | varayārtha tvam anyaṁ vai taṁ te dāsyāmi suvrata ||
Saudāsa sagte: „O Brahmarṣi, diese juwelenbesetzten Ohrringe ziemen meiner Gemahlin. O Mann guter Gelübde, erbitte etwas anderes; was immer du wählst, das will ich dir gewiss gewähren.“
सौदास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical discernment in generosity: a king should be willing to give, yet also protect what is properly owed to another—here, the queen’s rightful ornaments—while still honoring a worthy petitioner by offering an alternative gift.
A brahmarṣi has asked for jeweled earrings. Saudāsa replies that such earrings are appropriate for his wife and therefore should not be given away; he invites the sage to request something else, promising to grant it.