Shloka 3
Agastya’s Encounter with Ilvala and Vātāpi; Dāna, Progeny, and the Renown of Agastya-Āśrama
एवमुक्त: स मुनिना महीपालो विचेतन: । प्रत्याख्यानाय चाशक्तः प्रदातुं चैव नैच्छत,मुनिवर अगस्त्यके ऐसा कहनेपर विदर्भराजके होश उड़ गये। वे न तो अस्वीकार कर सके और न उन्होंने अपनी कन्या देनेकी इच्छा ही की
evam uktaḥ sa muninā mahīpālo vicetanaḥ | pratyākhyānāya cāśaktaḥ pradātuṃ caiva naicchat |
Thus addressed by the sage, the king was struck senseless and bewildered. He found himself unable to refuse the request, yet he also did not wish to give what was being asked—his daughter.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse portrays a dharmic conflict: reverence for a sage and the social duty to honor such a request can render a king unable to refuse, yet inner reluctance remains. It illustrates how authority and sanctity can create intense ethical pressure, testing discernment and resolve.
After the sage speaks, the king becomes stunned and conflicted. He cannot bring himself to reject the request, but he also does not want to grant it—implicitly, the giving of his daughter—showing his paralysis between obligation and personal unwillingness.