Shloka 44
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
ततोअब्रवीद् वसिष्ठस्तं भगवान् संशितव्रतः । शृणु राम यथोत्पन्नं सुवर्णमनलप्रभम्
tato 'bravīd vasiṣṭhas taṃ bhagavān saṃśitavrataḥ | śṛṇu rāma yathotpannaṃ suvarṇam analaprabham ||
Then the venerable Vasiṣṭha, steadfast in his vows, addressed him: “Listen, Rāma, to how gold came into being—gold that shines with the splendor of fire.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames knowledge as authoritative instruction: a vow-observant sage introduces an account of the origin and sacred nature of gold, implying that valued substances and their use in dharmic life should be understood through tradition and disciplined wisdom.
Bhīṣma reports that the sage Vasiṣṭha begins a discourse addressed to Rāma, inviting him to listen to an explanation of how gold originated and emphasizing its fire-like brilliance.