Shloka 33
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
वरयस्व वरं देवि दातास्मीति पुरंदर,'सती-साथ्वी देवी! तुम किसलिये यह घोर तपस्या करती हो? शोभने! महाभागे! मैं तुम्हारी इस तपस्यासे बहुत संतुष्ट हूँ। देवि! तुम इच्छानुसार वर माँगो।” पुरंदर! इस तरह मैंने सुरभीको वर माँगनेके लिये प्रेरित किया
varayasva varaṃ devi dātāsmīti purandara | satī sādhvī devī tvaṃ kasmād etad ghoraṃ tapaḥ karoṣi | śobhane mahābhāge tava tapasyāyāṃ suparituṣṭo 'smi | devi yathābhimataṃ varaṃ vṛṇu | purandara iti mayā surabhī vara-vṛddhyarthaṃ preritā |
പുരന്ദരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹേ ദേവി, വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക; ഞാൻ നൽകാൻ സന്നദ്ധനാണ്.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Severe austerity (tapas) grounded in virtue draws divine approval, and the ethical use of divine favor is guided by discernment—one should ask for boons aligned with dharma rather than mere desire.
Indra, pleased by Surabhī’s intense penance, invites her to choose any boon. Bhīṣma narrates that he encouraged Surabhī to make her request, framing the moment as a response to her virtue and austerity.