Shloka 13
Uttaṅka’s Petition for Madayantī’s Divine Earrings (Maṇikuṇḍala) — Agreement, Proof, and Vigilance
ततो गुरुसुता तस्य पद्मपत्रनि भानना,तब कमलदलके समान प्रफुल्ल मुखवाली विशाललोचना परम सुन्दरी धर्मज्ञ गुरुपुत्रीने पिताकी आज्ञा पाकर विनीत भावसे सिर झुकाये वहाँ आयी और अपने हाथोंमें उसने मुनिके आँसू ग्रहण कर लिये ।।
tato gurusutā tasya padmapatranibhānanā | tasyā nipetatur dagdhau karau tair aśrubindubhiḥ | na hi tān aśrupātāṁs tu śaktā dhārayituṁ mahī ||
それから師の娘—蓮の花弁のように輝く顔をもつ—は、父の命を受けて慎み深くそこへ来て、仙人の涙を両手に受け止めた。だがその涙滴はあまりに灼熱で、彼女の両手は焼けただれ、涙は地へと落ちた。しかも大地でさえ、その落ちる涙の重みと熱を支えきれなかった。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and spiritual gravity of a sage’s grief: intense inner states—especially those rooted in tapas and truth—carry real force in the world. It also underscores dharmic humility and obedience, as the guru’s daughter acts with reverence, yet even her virtue cannot neutralize the potency of the sage’s sorrow.
A guru’s daughter, described as lotus-faced, comes respectfully on her father’s instruction and tries to collect a sage’s tears in her hands. The tears are so powerful that they burn her hands and fall to the ground; even the earth is said to be unable to bear those falling tear-drops.