Shloka 21
Marutta Seeks a Priest: Bṛhaspati’s Refusal and Nārada’s Guidance to Saṃvarta
Chapter 6
कथं च तस्मै वर्तेयं कथं मां न परित्यजेत् । प्रत्याख्यातश्न तेनापि नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे,मरुत्त बोले--वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ नारदजी! आपने यह बात बताकर मुझे जिला दिया। अब यह बताइये कि मैं संवर्त मुनिका दर्शन कहाँ कर सकूँगा? मुझे उनके साथ कैसा बर्ताव करना चाहिये? मैं कैसा व्यवहार करूँ, जिससे वे मेरा परित्याग न करें। यदि उन्होंने भी मेरी प्रार्थना ठुकरा दी तब मैं जीवित नहीं रह सकूँगा
kathaṃ ca tasmai varteyaṃ kathaṃ māṃ na parityajet | pratyākhyātas tena api nāhaṃ jīvitum utsahe ||
Marutta said: “How should I conduct myself toward him, and how can I ensure that he does not abandon me? Even if I am refused by him, I would not have the heart to go on living.”
मरुत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical importance of humble, careful conduct toward a revered guide: one should act in a way that preserves trust and avoids giving cause for abandonment, recognizing that rejection by a worthy person is spiritually devastating.
King Marutta, anxious to secure the support of a powerful sage, asks how he should approach and behave so that the sage will not leave him; he expresses that if he is turned away, he feels unable to continue living.