Shloka 135
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
तमहं प्राउ्जलिर्भूत्वा नमस्कृत्येदमन्रुवम् । ज्ञातुमिच्छामि देव त्वां मायां चैतां तवोत्तमाम्,फिर हाथ जोड़े नमस्कार करके मैंने उससे इस प्रकार कहा--देव! मैं आपको और आपकी इस उत्तम मायाको जानना चाहता हूँ
tam ahaṁ prāñjalir bhūtvā namaskṛtyedam abruvam | jñātum icchāmi deva tvāṁ māyāṁ caitāṁ tavottamām ||
With palms joined in reverence, I bowed to him and spoke these words: “O divine one, I wish to understand you—and also this supreme power of illusion (māyā) that belongs to you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models the ethical posture of learning: humility (joined palms and bowing) paired with sincere inquiry. True understanding of the divine is approached through reverence and a desire to comprehend not only the deity but also the deity’s māyā—the mysterious power by which reality is manifested and veiled.
The narrator reports that the speaker, after respectfully saluting a divine figure, asks to know the deity directly and to understand the deity’s ‘supreme māyā.’ It marks a transition from encounter to instruction, where devotion becomes a request for deeper knowledge.