Shloka 78
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
यातुधान्युवाच यास्मि सास्म्यनुयोगो मे न कर्तव्य: कथंचन । आरक्षिणीं मां पद्मिन्या वित्त सर्वे तपोधना:
yātudhānī uvāca—yā asmi sā asmi; anuyogo me na kartavyaḥ kathaṃcana | ārakṣiṇīṃ māṃ padminyā vitta sarve tapodhanāḥ ||
La Yātudhānī répondit : «Qui que je sois, je le suis. Vous n’avez, d’aucune manière, le droit de m’interroger sur moi-même. Sachez seulement ceci, ô ascètes riches d’austérités : je suis la gardienne établie pour ce lac couvert de lotus.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights boundaries of inquiry and authority: even revered ascetics are told that not every being is obliged to disclose personal identity. Ethically, it points to respecting roles and limits—what matters here is the function (guardianship of the lake), not the guardian’s private particulars.
A Yātudhānī confronts a group of ascetics who question her. She refuses to answer who she is, declaring that they have no right to interrogate her, and states only her role: she is the appointed protectress of a lotus-filled lake.