Shloka 29

कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī

Devanagari script

महर्षीणां मतं ज्ञात्वा ततः सा सरितां वरा

Transliteration

maharṣīṇāṁ mataṁ jñātvā tataḥ sā saritāṁ varā

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having understood the judgment of the great seers, then that foremost of rivers acted accordingly—aligning her course with the counsel of the sages, a gesture that underscores reverence for wise authority and the ethical weight of discerning and following righteous guidance.

Word by Word

• महर्षीणाम्: of the great sages
• महर्षीणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• मतम्: opinion, view
• मतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for ktvā), Non-finite

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• वरा: the best, excellent
• वरा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वैशम्पायन (Vaiśaṃpāyana)
• महर्षयः (great sages/ṛṣis)
• सरितां वरा (the foremost of rivers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical importance of discerning wise counsel (the matam of great sages) and then acting in accordance with it—suggesting that deference to realized, dharma-grounded authority can guide right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that, after learning the decision/opinion of the great seers, the foremost of rivers (a specific river implied by context) proceeds accordingly, marking a narrative step where the river’s subsequent action follows the sages’ counsel.