Shloka 11
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
पित्र्येणा श्रुप्रषातेन नाचिकेत: कुरूद्गवह । प्रास्पन्दच्छयने कौश्ये वृष्टया सस्यमिवाप्लुतम्
pitryeṇa aśruprasātena nāciketaḥ kurūdgvaha | prāspandacchayane kauśye vṛṣṭyā sasyam ivāplutam ||
Wahai banteng di antara kaum Kuru, Naciketas yang terbaring di atas alas wol mulai bergerak ketika basah oleh aliran air mata ayahnya—laksana ladang yang kering, setelah diguyur hujan, kembali menghijau.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical power of sincere remorse and compassion: a father’s heartfelt tears can ‘revive’ and soften what is rigid or unresponsive, just as rain restores a dry crop. It points to the dharmic value of empathy within family relations and the transformative force of genuine feeling.
Naciketas lies on a woolen bed (or mat) and, as his father’s tears fall upon him in a steady stream, he begins to stir. The poet compares this movement to a dry field of grain becoming refreshed and enlivened when rainwater drenches it.