Shloka 65
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
शिरसा वन्दमानं मामुपमन्युरभाषत
śirasā vandamānaṃ mām upamanyur abhāṣata | puṇḍarīkākṣa! svāgataṃ te | tvaṃ pūjanīyo bhūtvā mama pūjāṃ karoṣi, darśanīyo bhūtvā ca mama darśanam icchasi; anena naḥ tapasāṃ saphalatā jātā ||
As I bowed my head in reverence, Upamanyu addressed me: “O Puṇḍarīkākṣa, lotus-eyed one, welcome. Though you are worthy of worship, you worship me; though you are the one fit to be beheld, you seek to behold me. By this, our austerities have borne fruit.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that genuine spiritual greatness is marked by humility and reverence. When one who is himself worthy of worship chooses to honor an ascetic, it affirms the value of tapas and shows that dharma is upheld through respectful conduct rather than status.
Vāsudeva bows to the sage Upamanyu. Seeing this, Upamanyu welcomes him as Puṇḍarīkākṣa and remarks that Kṛṣṇa—though venerable and worthy to be seen—still worships and seeks the sage’s audience, making the sages feel their austerities have achieved their intended fruit.