Shloka 12
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
स पर्यपृच्छत् त॑ पुत्र क्षीणं पर्यागतं पुन: । दिव्यैर्गन्धै: समादिग्ध॑ क्षीणस्वप्नमिवोत्थितम्
sa paryapṛcchat taṁ putra kṣīṇaṁ paryāgataṁ punaḥ | divyair gandhaiḥ samādigdhaṁ kṣīṇa-svapnam ivotthitam ||
महर्षींचा तो पुत्र मृत्यूनंतर पुन्हा परत आला—जणू झोपेतून जागा झाला असावा. त्याच्या देहात दिव्य सुगंध पसरला होता. तेव्हा उद्दालकाने त्याला विचारले—
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry (praśna) as a dharmic method: unusual spiritual signs—exhaustion after an experience and a divine fragrance—are not treated as mere marvels but as prompts for a teacher to question, discern, and guide the student toward understanding and right conduct.
A son returns again in a depleted state, seeming like someone awakened from a fading dream, while his body carries a divine scent. Observing these signs, Uddalaka questions him to learn what he underwent and what it signifies.