Shloka 12
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
स पर्यपृच्छत् त॑ पुत्र क्षीणं पर्यागतं पुन: । दिव्यैर्गन्धै: समादिग्ध॑ क्षीणस्वप्नमिवोत्थितम्,महर्षिका वह पुत्र मरकर पुन: लौट आया, मानो नींद टूट जानेसे जाग उठा हो। उसका शरीर दिव्य सुगन्धसे व्याप्त हो रहा था। उस समय उद्दालकने उससे पूछा--
sa paryapṛcchat taṁ putra kṣīṇaṁ paryāgataṁ punaḥ | divyair gandhaiḥ samādigdhaṁ kṣīṇa-svapnam ivotthitam ||
Bhishma said: Then he questioned that son who had returned again, looking worn out, as though he had just awakened from a fading dream. His body was permeated with a divine fragrance. At that moment Uddalaka asked him—
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry (praśna) as a dharmic method: unusual spiritual signs—exhaustion after an experience and a divine fragrance—are not treated as mere marvels but as prompts for a teacher to question, discern, and guide the student toward understanding and right conduct.
A son returns again in a depleted state, seeming like someone awakened from a fading dream, while his body carries a divine scent. Observing these signs, Uddalaka questions him to learn what he underwent and what it signifies.