Shloka 9
छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear
ततो मध्याद्वमारूढे ज्येष्ठामूले दिवाकरे
tato madhyād vamarūḍhe jyeṣṭhāmūle divākare | yāvad etān punaḥ subhru kṣipram iti janādhipa ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Puis, lorsque le soleil du mois de Jyeṣṭha eut atteint le milieu du jour, Jamadagni —poursuivant son jeu de tir— s’adressa encore à Reṇukā : “Ô toi aux beaux sourcils, femme aux grands yeux, va vite rapporter ces flèches parties de mon arc, afin que je les remette en place et les décoche de nouveau.”»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ordinary household actions—an elder’s instruction and a spouse’s compliance—sit within dharma. It subtly points to the importance (and potential danger) of unquestioning obedience, preparing the reader for later moral conflicts in the Jamadagni–Renuka narrative.
At midday in the hot season of Jyeshtha, Jamadagni is engaged in repeatedly shooting arrows as a pastime. He tells Renuka to quickly retrieve the arrows he has shot so he can place them again on the bow and continue.