Shloka 18
सुवर्णष्ठीविनोपाख्यानम्
The Account of Suvarṇaṣṭhīvin
तच्छुत्वा सूंजयो वाक््यं पर्वतस्य महात्मन: । प्रसादयामास तदा नैतदेवं भवेदिति
tac chrutvā sūñjayo vākyam parvatasya mahātmanaḥ | prasādayāmāsa tadā naitad evaṁ bhaved iti |
Hearing the words of the great-souled sage Parvata, Sūñjaya sought to appease him and said, “Let it not be so. O sage! By the power of your austerities, my son ought to be long-lived.” Yet, mindful of Indra’s will, the sage Parvata remained silent.
पर्वत उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human effort and merit (such as tapas) may seek to avert misfortune, yet the narrative underscores the limits of personal desire when set against divine ordinance; wisdom can also appear as silence when one recognizes a higher, unalterable will.
After Parvata speaks, Sūñjaya—anxious for his son—tries to placate the sage and requests that, through the sage’s austerity, his son become long-lived; Parvata, however, says nothing, remembering Indra’s role and intention.