कार्त्तिकेयाभिषेकः — Consecration of Kārttikeya and the Enumeration of His Retinue
युगपच्छेलपुत्र्याश्च गज़ाया: पावकस्य च । क॑ नु पूर्वमयं बालो गौरवादशभ्युपैष्यति
yugapac chelaputryāś ca gaṅgāyāḥ pāvakasya ca | kaṃ nu pūrvam ayaṃ bālo gauravād aśabhyupaiṣyati ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഈ ബാലൻ ഒരേസമയം പർവതരാജകുമാരിയായ ഗംഗയോടും പാവകനായ അഗ്നിയോടും ബന്ധമുള്ളവൻ; അതിനാൽ ആദരവോടെ ആദ്യം ആരുടെ അടുക്കലേക്കാണ് അവൻ പോകുക?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
When one owes reverence to multiple venerable sources (such as divine or parental figures), dharma requires humility and careful discernment in deciding the order of honor; respect is not denied to any, but precedence must be chosen thoughtfully.
The narrator raises a question about a young figure who is simultaneously connected with Gaṅgā (the mountain’s daughter) and Agni (Pāvaka): out of respect, whom will he approach first? The verse frames a moment of etiquette and moral priority amid larger events.