Shloka 2
अग्नेर्वचनमाज्ञाय मातुर्धर्मज्ञता च व: | भवतां च परं वीर्य पूर्व नाहमिहागत:,अग्निके दिये हुए वचनको स्मरण करके, तुम्हारी माताकी धर्मज्ञताको जानकर और तुमलोगोंमें भी महान् शक्ति है, इस बातको समझकर ही मैं पहले यहाँ नहीं आया था
agner vacanam ājñāya mātur dharmajñatāṃ ca vaḥ | bhavatāṃ ca paraṃ vīryaṃ pūrva nāham ihāgataḥ ||
Having understood Agni’s instruction, recognizing your mother’s discernment of dharma, and realizing the extraordinary strength that is in you, I did not come here earlier.
मन्दपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical restraint as grounded in three recognitions: divine instruction (Agni’s word), trust in a dharma-wise guardian (the mother), and respect for the capability of the next generation (their great vīrya). Right action includes knowing when not to intervene prematurely.
Mandapāla addresses the young ones, explaining why he had not come earlier: he had taken into account Agni’s directive, the mother’s sound judgment in dharma, and the children’s exceptional strength, and therefore delayed his arrival.