Shloka 28
Marutta Seeks a Priest: Bṛhaspati’s Refusal and Nārada’s Guidance to Saṃvarta
Chapter 6
तत्र गत्वा यथोक्तं स पुर्या द्वारे महायशा: । कुणपं स्थापयामास नारदस्य वच: स्मरन्,वहाँ जाकर नारदजीके कथनका स्मरण करते हुए महायशस्वी नरेशने उनके बताये अनुसार काशीपुरीके द्वारपर एक मुर्दा लाकर रख दिया
tatra gatvā yathoktaṃ sa puryā dvāre mahāyaśāḥ | kuṇapaṃ sthāpayāmāsa nāradasya vacaḥ smaran |
Having gone there, the illustrious king, remembering Nārada’s words, did exactly as instructed: he brought a corpse and placed it at the gate of the city. The act underscores strict obedience to a sage’s directive, even when the deed appears socially impure, suggesting that the narrative is testing resolve, truthfulness, and the willingness to follow a higher injunction beyond ordinary conventions.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adherence to a higher directive (a sage’s instruction) even when it conflicts with ordinary social notions of purity and propriety, implying that dharma can involve difficult, counterintuitive actions undertaken with disciplined intent.
An illustrious king goes to the specified place and, recalling Nārada’s instruction, places a corpse at the city gate exactly as he was told, setting up the next development in the episode.