Shloka 78
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
तत्सम्भूता भूतकृतो वरेण्या: सर्वे देवा भुवनस्यास्य गोपा: । आविश्येमां धरणीं ये5भ्यरक्षन् पुरातनीं तस्य देवस्य सृष्टिम्
tat-sambhūtā bhūta-kṛto vareṇyāḥ sarve devā bhuvanasyāsya gopāḥ | āviśyemāṃ dharaṇīṃ ye 'bhyarakṣan purātanīṃ tasya devasya sṛṣṭim ||
Terbit daripada anugerah luhur Sang Pencipta segala makhluk, semua dewa—mulia lagi patut dihormati—menjadi para penjaga dunia ini. Dengan memasuki bumi ini, mereka melindunginya—ciptaan purba Tuhan yang ilahi itu—demi memelihara tertib dan kesinambungan kosmos.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that cosmic stability is upheld through divinely sanctioned guardianship: the gods, empowered by the Creator’s boon, protect the Earth and preserve the ancient order of creation—an ethical model for protective responsibility (rakṣaṇa) as a form of dharma.
Vāyudeva describes how the gods, originating through a boon connected with the Creator of beings, entered into the Earth and guarded her—portraying the deities as world-protectors who maintain and defend the primordial creation.