Shloka 23
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
देव्युवाच कि नाम दान॑ नियमं तपो वा कुर्यामहं येन पतिर्ममाद्य । लभेत भागं भगवानचिन्त्यो हार्ध तथा भागमथो तृतीयम्
devy uvāca ki nāma dānaṁ niyamaṁ tapo vā kuryām ahaṁ yena patir mamādya | labheta bhāgaṁ bhagavān acintyo hārdhaṁ tathā bhāgam atho tṛtīyam ||
देवी बोलीं—“मैं कौन-सा दान, कौन-सा नियम-व्रत या कौन-सा तप करूँ, जिसके प्रभाव से आज मेरे पति—अचिन्त्य भगवान् शंकर—यज्ञ में अपना यथोचित भाग पा सकें? उन्हें कम-से-कम आधा, नहीं तो तिहाई भाग तो अवश्य मिले।”
दक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic approach to restoring rightful honor: the speaker seeks to achieve justice through ethical means—charity, disciplined vows, and austerity—rather than coercion. It also underscores devotion and the belief that inner discipline can realign social-ritual order.
Pārvatī, distressed, asks what religious practice she should perform so that her husband Śiva (Śaṅkara), described as ‘inconceivable,’ will receive his due portion in a sacrifice—ideally half, or at least a third.