Shloka 56
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
भविष्यथ विश क्षिप्रं द्रष्टासि पितरं क्षये । माताकी बात सुनकर मैं पिताके दर्शनसे निराश हो गया और मनको संयममें रखकर महादेवजीकी आराधना करके उनका दर्शन किया। उस समय वे मुझसे बोले--“वत्स! तुम्हारे पिता
bhaviṣyatha viśa kṣipraṃ draṣṭāsi pitaraṃ kṣaye |
Galava berkata: “Masuklah segera; pada akhir keputusasaanmu engkau akan melihat ayahmu.” Mendengar itu, aku menanggalkan putus asa, mengekang batin, memuja Mahādeva hingga memperoleh darśana-Nya. Lalu Bhagavān bersabda: “Anakku, ayahmu, ibumu, dan engkau—kalian bertiga akan terbebas dari maut. Sekarang masuklah ke rumah tanpa menunda; di sana engkau akan memperoleh pandangan atas ayahmu.” Dengan izin Bhagavān Śiva aku pulang, melaksanakan yajña, lalu kulihat ayahku keluar dari balai kurban, membawa kayu bakar upacara, rumput kuśa, serta buah-buah masak dan persembahan lain yang gugur dengan sendirinya dari pepohonan.
गालव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast devotion and self-restraint in distress invite divine guidance; despair is to be ended through disciplined mind and dharmic action, after which rightful aims—such as reunion and protection of family—are fulfilled by grace.
Gālava, having become despondent about seeing his father, worships Śiva (Mahādeva). Śiva appears, promises freedom from death for Gālava and his parents, and instructs him to return home. Gālava obeys, performs a sacrifice, and then sees his father emerging from the sacrificial hall carrying ritual materials and offerings.