वैशम्पायन उवाच एवं स्तुतस्तदा तेन मन्दपालेन पावक:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—evaṁ stutas tadā tena Mandapālena Pāvakaḥ; prasannaḥ sa mahātejā ṛṣim abhyabhāṣata—“kiṁ te ’bhīṣṭaṁ karavāṇi?”
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika Mandapāla memuji demikian, Pāvaka (Agni) sangat berkenan kepada sang resi yang bercahaya tanpa batas. Dengan hati gembira ia berkata: ‘Keinginan apakah milikmu yang harus kutuntaskan?’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Sincere praise and disciplined speech (stuti) can invite divine favor, but the implied ethical boundary is that the boon should be sought for a rightful purpose (dharma-aligned intent), not mere self-indulgence.
After Mandapāla praises Agni (Pāvaka), Agni becomes pleased and offers to fulfill Mandapāla’s desired objective, asking what he wishes to be accomplished.