Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं पिण्डेषु त्रिषु या गति:
etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ piṇḍeṣu triṣu yā gatiḥ
ನಾನು ಇದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇನೆ—ಮೂರು ವಿಧದ ಪಿಂಡಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗತಿ ಹೇಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ?
देवदूत उवाच
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: outcomes (gati) are not random but are to be understood in relation to embodied states (piṇḍa) and the moral law of karma; it invites a structured explanation of how conduct shapes one’s destiny.
A divine messenger speaks and asks to be instructed: he wants to hear an account of the ‘gati’—the resulting fate or course—associated with the three piṇḍas, setting up a doctrinal explanation that follows.