Adhyaya 19 — Kartavirya Arjuna at Dattatreya’s Ashram: Boons, Sovereignty, and Vaishnava Praise
वरं वृणीष्व गुह्यं मे यत् त्वया समुदीरितम् ।
तेन तुष्टिः परा जाता त्वय्यद्य मम पार्थिव ॥
varaṃ vṛṇīṣva guhyaṃ me yat tvayā samudīritam / tena tuṣṭiḥ parā jātā tvayy adya mama pārthiva
वर माग. तू जे बोललास तेच माझे रहस्य (तत्त्व) आहे; त्यामुळे आज तुझ्याविषयी माझ्या अंतःकरणात परम संतोष उत्पन्न झाला आहे, हे राजन्.
Speaking truth with insight—especially about the hidden workings of māyā and śakti—invites grace; boons are framed as responses to inner qualification, not entitlement.
Ākhyāna/vaṃśānucarita: the boon motif advances the royal narrative line while embedding theological teaching about ‘guhya’ knowledge.
‘Guhya’ indicates initiatory knowledge: recognizing the divine behind appearances. The boon becomes a secondary fruit; the primary attainment is validated insight (jñāna) that pierces māyā.