Shloka 18
Marutta Seeks a Priest: Bṛhaspati’s Refusal and Nārada’s Guidance to Saṃvarta
Chapter 6
नारद उवाच राजन्नज्धिरस: पुत्र: संवर्तो नाम धार्मिक: । चड्क्रमीति दिश: सर्वा दिग्वासा मोहयन् प्रजा:,नारदजी बोले--राजन्! अंगिराके दूसरे पुत्र संवर्त बड़े धार्मिक हैं। वे दिगम्बर होकर प्रजाको मोहमें डालते हुए अर्थात् सबसे छिपे रहकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें भ्रमण करते रहते हैं। यदि बृहस्पति तुम्हें अपना यजमान बनाना नहीं चाहते तो तुम संवर्तके ही पास चले जाओ संवर्त बड़े तेजस्वी हैं, वे प्रसन्नतापूर्वक तुम्हारा यज्ञ करा देंगे
nārada uvāca rājann aṅgirasaḥ putraḥ saṃvarto nāma dhārmikaḥ | digvāsā mohayann prajāḥ sarvā diśaḥ paricakrāmeti ||
Nārada said: “O King, Aṅgiras has a second son named Saṃvarta, a man devoted to dharma. Living unclothed and keeping himself hidden from common sight, he bewilders people and continually roams through all directions. If Bṛhaspati does not wish to accept you as his patron for the sacrifice, then go to Saṃvarta instead; he is exceedingly radiant and, when pleased, will gladly conduct your yajña.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual success and moral order depend not merely on status but on the right alignment of patron and priest: when an established authority (Bṛhaspati) withholds consent, one should seek a qualified, dharmic alternative (Saṃvarta) rather than forcing an improper relationship.
Nārada informs the king about Saṃvarta, Aṅgiras’s righteous son who wanders as a sky-clad ascetic, and advises the king to approach him to officiate the sacrifice if Bṛhaspati declines to accept the king as his yajamāna.