Shloka 693
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
ऋषयश्च महाभागा: पृच्छन्ति सम पितृंस्ततः । तब मरुदगणोंसहित सम्पूर्ण महाभाग देवता और परम सौभाग्यशाली ऋषियोंने पितरोंसे पूछा--
ṛṣayaś ca mahābhāgāḥ pṛcchanti sama-pitṝṃs tataḥ | tataḥ marud-gaṇaiḥ sahitaḥ sampūrṇaḥ mahābhāga-devatāḥ ca parama-saubhāgyaśālinaḥ ṛṣayaḥ pitṝn apṛcchan ||
അപ്പോൾ മരുത്ഗണങ്ങളോടുകൂടി സർവ്വ മഹാഭാഗ ദേവന്മാരും പരമ സൗഭാഗ്യശാലികളായ ഋഷിമാരും പിതൃകളെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്തു.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic method: even gods and great sages seek clarification from the Pitṛs, acknowledging ancestral authority and the importance of learning right conduct through respectful inquiry.
In Śakra’s narration, the sages—along with the Maruts and other deities—approach the Pitṛs and question them, setting up a discourse where the Pitṛs will explain principles related to dharma and ancestral obligations.