Shloka 4
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
निष्पाप नरेश! पहलेकी बात है, मैंने बड़ी भारी तपस्या करके तपनेवाले भगवान् सूर्यकी आराधना की थी। उससे प्रसन्न होकर भगवान् सूर्यने मुझसे कहा-- ।।
niṣpāpa nareśa! pūrvavṛttānto 'yam—mayā mahātapasā tapyamānena bhagavān sūrya ārādhitaḥ. tena prasannena bhagavatā sūryeṇa mama proktam—“varaṁ vṛṇīṣva viprarṣe yad iṣṭaṁ te sudurlabham; tat te dāsyāmi prītātmā, matprasādo hi durlabhaḥ.”
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Wahai raja yang tanpa noda, ini kisah kuno. Dahulu, setelah menjalani tapa yang amat berat, aku memuja Dewa Surya, Tuhan yang dihormati para pertapa. Berkenan kepadaku, Surya bersabda: ‘Wahai brahmarṣi, pilihlah anugerah—apa pun yang kau kehendaki, sekalipun sangat sukar diperoleh. Dengan hati gembira akan Kuberikan kepadamu, sebab karunia-Ku jarang dianugerahkan.’”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sincere tapas (disciplined austerity) and devoted worship can draw divine favor; yet such grace is portrayed as rare and therefore ethically weighty—one should choose boons responsibly, aligned with dharma.
Yājñavalkya recounts a past episode to the king: after intense austerities he worshipped the Sun-god, who, pleased, invites him to ask for any boon—even something very difficult—emphasizing the rarity of the Sun’s grace.