Shloka 16
हिरण्यपुरवर्णनम्
Description of Hiraṇyapura and the Nivātakavacas
यहाँ नागराज ऐरावत, वामन, कुमुद और अंजन नामक श्रेष्ठ गज सुप्रतीकके वंशमें उत्पन्न हुए हैं ।। पश्य यद्यत्र ते कश्चिद् रोचते गुणतो वर: । वरयिष्यामि तं गत्वा यत्नमास्थाय मातले,मातले! देखो, यदि यहाँ तुम्हें कोई गुणवान् वर पसंद हो तो मैं चलकर यत्नपूर्वक उसका वरण करूँगा
iha nāgarāja airāvataḥ vāmano kumudaś cāñjana-nāmakaś ca śreṣṭhā gajāḥ supratīkasya vaṃśe utpannāḥ santi | paśya yady atra te kaścid rocete guṇato varaḥ | varayiṣyāmi taṃ gatvā yatnam āsthāya mātale mātale |
Here are born, in the lineage of Supratīka, the foremost elephants—Airāvata, Vāmana, Kumuda, and the one named Añjana. Look: if among them any excellent one, superior in qualities, pleases you, then I shall go and, with careful effort, secure him for you, O Mātali.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worthiness should be judged by guṇa (qualities/merit). The verse frames choice as an ethical act: selecting the ‘best’ is not arbitrary but grounded in excellence and careful effort.
Nārada points out renowned, high-born elephants from Supratīka’s lineage and tells Mātali to choose whichever pleases him as the most qualified; Nārada then offers to go and obtain that elephant with due effort.