Shloka 13
Viṣṇor Māhātmya and Indriya-saṃyama (विष्णोर्माहात्म्यं तथा इन्द्रियसंयमः)
स तु बद्धाञज्जलिं सत्यमयाचद्धरिण: पुनः । सत्येन स परिष्वज्य संदिष्टो गम्पतामिति
sa tu baddhāñjaliṃ satyam ayācad dhariṇaḥ punaḥ | satyena sa pariṣvajya saṃdiṣṭo gampatām iti ||
With palms joined in reverence, Satyam stood and again entreated the deer. Yet the deer once more asked to be offered as an oblation. Satyam embraced it from the heart and, with affectionate firmness, instructed: “Go from here.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma expressed as compassion and restraint: even when a creature seeks self-offering, the righteous response is to protect life, respond with empathy, and guide away from harm.
Satyam stands with folded hands, pleading with the deer; the deer again asks to be given as an oblation. Satyam embraces it and gently orders it to leave, signaling protection rather than acceptance of the deer’s self-sacrificial request.