Shloka 58
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
तान् विसृज्य च मां प्राह पिता सास्राविलेक्षण: । प्रणमन्तं परिष्वज्य मूर्ध्न्युपाप्राय पाण्डव
tān visṛjya ca māṃ prāha pitā sāśrāvilekṣaṇaḥ | praṇamantaṃ pariṣvajya mūrdhny upāghrāya pāṇḍava ||
After dismissing them, my father—his eyes clouded with tears—spoke to me. As I bowed in reverence, he embraced me and kissed my head, O son of Pāṇḍu. The scene reveals a father’s tender affection and the moral weight of parting: duty must go on, yet it is sanctified by blessing, restraint, and heartfelt compassion.
गालव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic conduct within family life: reverence shown by the son through praṇāma, and the father’s compassionate blessing through embrace and a kiss on the head. Duty and separation are tempered by affection, restraint, and the transmission of moral support.
Gālava recounts that after others were sent away, his father—tearful—addressed him. As Gālava bowed, the father embraced him and kissed his head, indicating an emotionally charged farewell and a blessing before the next step in Gālava’s undertaking.