Shloka 14
पत्नीसरूपतां कृत्वा कामयामास पावकम् | दिव्यरूपमरुन्धत्या: कर्तु न शकितं तया
patnīsarūpatāṁ kṛtvā kāmayāmāsa pāvakam | divyarūpam aruṇdhatyāḥ kartuṁ na śakitaṁ tayā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: Dengan mengambil rupa para istri Saptaṛṣi, ia menginginkan persatuan dengan Agni. Namun ia tak mampu mengenakan wujud ilahi Arundhatī, sebab daya tapa Arundhatī dan kesetiaannya dalam melayani sang suami membuat rupa itu tak terjangkau. Karena itu, benih Agni hanya enam kali saja dapat ia terima dan ia tempatkan di sana—Arundhatī seorang tetap melampaui segala tiruan oleh kekuatan dharmanya.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that genuine virtue—especially Arundhatī’s tapas and steadfast devotion to dharma—creates a spiritual power that cannot be replicated by mere external imitation. Ethical strength rooted in disciplined conduct becomes a protective force.
A woman attempts to approach Agni by taking on the forms of the wives of the Seven Sages. She can imitate six of them, but she cannot assume Arundhatī’s divine form because Arundhatī’s austerity and devoted service to her husband make her spiritually inimitable; thus the attempt succeeds only six times.