Shloka 9
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
ततो मध्याद्वमारूढे ज्येष्ठामूले दिवाकरे,यावदेतान् पुनः सुभ्रु क्षिपमीति जनाधिप । जनेश्वर! इस प्रकार बाण चलानेकी क्रीड़ा करते-करते ज्येष्ठ मासके सूर्य दिनके मध्यभागमें आ पहुँचे। विप्रवर जमदग्निने पुन: बाण छोड़कर रेणुकासे कहा--'सुभ्रु! विशाललोचने! जाओ, मेरे धनुषसे छूटे हुए इन बाणोंको ले आओ, जिससे मैं पुनः इन सबको धनुषपर रखकर छोड़ूँ'
tato madhyād vamarūḍhe jyeṣṭhāmūle divākare | yāvad etān punaḥ subhru kṣipram iti janādhipa ||
Bhishma said: “Then, when the sun in the month of Jyeshtha had climbed to the middle of the day, Jamadagni—continuing his sport of shooting arrows—again addressed Renuka: ‘O fair-browed one, large-eyed lady, quickly go and bring back these arrows that have been released from my bow, so that I may once more set them upon the bow and shoot them again.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ordinary household actions—an elder’s instruction and a spouse’s compliance—sit within dharma. It subtly points to the importance (and potential danger) of unquestioning obedience, preparing the reader for later moral conflicts in the Jamadagni–Renuka narrative.
At midday in the hot season of Jyeshtha, Jamadagni is engaged in repeatedly shooting arrows as a pastime. He tells Renuka to quickly retrieve the arrows he has shot so he can place them again on the bow and continue.