Shloka 34
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
रहस्यमद्भुतं चापि पृष्टा: सम गगनेचर । एतदेव प्रशंसन्ति देवाश्न मुन॒यस्तथा
rahasyam adbhutaṃ cāpi pṛṣṭāḥ sma gagane-cara | etad eva praśaṃsanti devāś ca munayas tathā ||
天の使いは言った。「天を巡る者よ、まことに我らは驚くべき秘事を問われた。この教えこそ、神々も聖仙もまた称賛する。」文脈において本偈は、その問いを高き権威により是認された深奥のダルマの秘義として位置づけ、定められた祖霊の儀礼と先祖を敬う倫理の務めへの畏敬を促す。
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the matter being discussed is a profound dharmic ‘secret’ (rahasya) and is validated by the highest authorities—gods and sages—thereby reinforcing the importance of the prescribed duties, especially those connected with honoring ancestors (pitṛ-karman) in the surrounding context.
A celestial messenger responds to a question posed to them, emphasizing that the inquiry concerns an extraordinary, esoteric point of dharma. The speaker strengthens the answer’s credibility by stating that gods and sages praise this very teaching.