Shloka 426
प्रणिपत्य महात्मानं राजर्षि: प्रत्यभाषत । 'भूपाल! तुम्हारा कल्याण हो। तुम जैसा चाहते हो, वैसा वर माँग लो।” अमिततेजस्वी रुद्रका यह वचन सुनकर राजर्षि श्वेतकिने परमात्मा शिवके चरणोंमें प्रणाम किया और इस प्रकार कहा--
praṇipatya mahātmānaṃ rājarṣiḥ pratyabhāṣata | “bhūpāla! tubhyam kalyāṇaṃ bhavatu | yathā icchasi tathā varaṃ vṛṇīṣva” iti | etad vacanaṃ śrutvā amit-tejasvī rudrakā rājarṣi-śvetakine parameśvara-śivasya caraṇayoḥ praṇāmaṃ kṛtvā evam uvāca—
Having bowed down to the great-souled one, the royal sage addressed him: “O protector of the earth, may welfare be yours. Ask for a boon exactly as you desire.” Hearing these words, the radiant Rudrakā—before the royal sage Śvetaki—paid reverence at the feet of the Supreme Lord Śiva and spoke as follows. The passage foregrounds the ethic of humility before spiritual authority and the disciplined use of power through rightly sought boons.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic conduct through humility and reverence: even powerful figures approach the divine and the wise with submission, and the granting/asking of boons is framed as an ethically guided act rather than mere desire.
A royal sage offers a boon—inviting the other to ask as he wishes. Rudrakā, described as radiant, responds by bowing at Śiva’s feet in the presence of the royal sage Śvetaki and begins to state his request.