Shloka 13
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
राजवद् रूपवेषौ ते ब्राह्मीं वाच॑ं बिभर्षि च | को नाम त्वं कुतश्चासि कस्य पुत्रश्न शंस मे,आपके रूप और वेष राजाके समान हैं और आप ब्राह्मी वाणी (विशुद्ध संस्कृत भाषा) बोल रहे हैं। मुझे बताइये; आपका क्या नाम है, कहाँसे आये हैं और किसके पुत्र हैं?
rājavad rūpaveṣau te brāhmīṁ vācaṁ bibharṣi ca | ko nāma tvaṁ kutaścāsi kasya putraś ca śaṁsa me ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Your appearance and attire are like those of a king, and you also speak refined, Vedic Sanskrit. Tell me—what is your name, from where have you come, and whose son are you?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment through external signs—royal bearing and cultivated speech—and the ethical importance of establishing identity and lineage before proceeding in a serious encounter, reflecting norms of social order and propriety.
Vaiśampāyana describes a moment of questioning: someone appears dressed and comporting himself like a king and speaks polished Sanskrit, prompting the speaker to ask his name, origin, and parentage to understand who he is.