Shloka 34
Kṛṣṇasya Dvārakā-praveśaḥ — Krishna’s Return to Dvārakā and the Raivataka Festival
उत्तद़्क उवाच नागलोके यदि ब्रह्म॒न् न शक््ये कुण्डले मया । प्राप्तुं प्राणान् विमोक्ष्यामि पश्यतस्तु द्विजोत्तम
Uttaṅka uvāca: nāgaloke yadi brahman na śakye kuṇḍale mayā prāptuṁ prāṇān vimokṣyāmi paśyatas tu dvijottama.
Uttanka dit : « Ô brahmane, ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, s’il m’est impossible d’aller au Nāga-loka et d’obtenir ces boucles d’oreilles, alors, sous tes yeux mêmes, je renoncerai à la vie. »
उत्तद़्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast commitment to one’s pledged duty: when a task tied to honor and obligation seems impossible, Uttaṅka declares he would rather give up his life than abandon the vow—underscoring the ethical weight of promises and responsibility.
Uttaṅka, intent on obtaining a specific pair of earrings from Nāgaloka, speaks to a brahmin elder (addressed as dvijottama). He states that if he cannot secure the earrings by going to the Nāga realm, he will renounce his life in that person’s presence, showing the intensity of his resolve.