Shloka 65
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
शिरसा वन्दमानं मामुपमन्युरभाषत
śirasā vandamānaṃ mām upamanyur abhāṣata | puṇḍarīkākṣa! svāgataṃ te | tvaṃ pūjanīyo bhūtvā mama pūjāṃ karoṣi, darśanīyo bhūtvā ca mama darśanam icchasi; anena naḥ tapasāṃ saphalatā jātā ||
Aku menundukkan kepala dan memberi hormat. Melihatku bersujud, Upamanyu berkata: “Wahai Puṇḍarīkākṣa, selamat datang. Engkau yang layak dipuja justru memuja aku; engkau yang patut dipandang justru ingin memandangku. Dengan ini, tapa kami berbuah.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that genuine spiritual greatness is marked by humility and reverence. When one who is himself worthy of worship chooses to honor an ascetic, it affirms the value of tapas and shows that dharma is upheld through respectful conduct rather than status.
Vāsudeva bows to the sage Upamanyu. Seeing this, Upamanyu welcomes him as Puṇḍarīkākṣa and remarks that Kṛṣṇa—though venerable and worthy to be seen—still worships and seeks the sage’s audience, making the sages feel their austerities have achieved their intended fruit.