Shloka 18
Agastya–Lopāmudrā: Marriage, Austerity, and Conditions for Conjugal Union (लोमशकथितम्)
शमठ उवाच अमूर्तरयस: पुत्रो गयो राजर्षिसत्तम: । पुण्यानि यस्य कर्माणि तानि मे शूणु भारत
śamaṭha uvāca amūrtarayasaḥ putro gayo rājarṣisattamaḥ | puṇyāni yasya karmāṇi tāni me śṛṇu bhārata ||
Śamaṭha said: “Listen, O Bhārata, to the meritorious deeds of Gaya, the foremost of royal seers, the son of Amūrtarayas. I shall recount the virtuous actions for which he is renowned.”
शमठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames moral instruction through exemplary biography: the listener is urged to attend to the ‘puṇya-karmāṇi’ (meritorious deeds) of an ideal king-sage, implying that righteous action and virtuous governance are models to be learned and emulated.
Śamaṭha introduces a didactic account, announcing that he will narrate the virtuous deeds of King Gaya, son of Amūrtarayas, addressing his audience as ‘Bhārata’ and preparing the listener for an instructive story about exemplary conduct.