Shloka 763
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
वृद्धगार्ग्यों महातेजास्तानेवं वाक्यमब्रवीत् । पितरोंका यह भाषण सुनकर तपस्याके धनी महातेजस्वी वृद्धगार्ग्यके शरीरमें रोमांच हो आया और उनसे इस प्रकार पूछा--
vṛddhagārgyo mahātejās tān evaṃ vākyam abravīt | pitaroṃ kā yaḥ bhāṣaṇa sunakara tapasyā ke dhanī mahātejasvī vṛddhagārgya ke śarīra meṃ romāñca ho āyā aura unse isa prakāra pūchā—
Vṛddha Gārgya, grand ascète rayonnant de puissance spirituelle, leur adressa ces paroles. Entendant le discours des Pitṛs (pères ancestraux), le puissant Vṛddha Gārgya—riche en austérités—fut saisi d’un frisson de vénération, puis les interrogea ainsi.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights reverent receptivity to ancestral wisdom: a disciplined ascetic, upon hearing the Pitṛs, responds with humility and inquiry—implying that dharma is approached through attentive listening, inner transformation, and respectful questioning.
After the Pitṛs speak, the sage Vṛddha Gārgya is moved with spiritual awe (romāñca) and then addresses them, beginning a question that continues in the subsequent lines.