Shloka 19
कर्मणा केन सिद्धो<5यं क््व वानेन तपश्चितम् । कथं वा ज्ञायते स्वर्गे केन वा ज्ञायतेडप्युत,“इसे किस कर्मसे सिद्धि प्राप्त हुई है? इसने कहाँ तपस्या की है? स्वर्गमें किस प्रकार इसे जाना जाय अथवा कौन यहाँ इसको जानता है?”
karmaṇā kena siddho ’yaṃ kva vānena tapaś citam | kathaṃ vā jñāyate svarge kena vā jñāyate ’py uta ||
Nārada berkata: “Dengan perbuatan apakah orang ini mencapai kejayaan sedemikian? Di rimba manakah dia menjalani tapa? Dan bagaimanakah dia dikenali di syurga—atau sesungguhnya, siapakah di sini yang benar-benar mengenalnya?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Visible success or honor should be traced back to its moral and spiritual causes—right action (karma) and disciplined austerity (tapas). The verse urges discernment: do not accept fame at face value; ask what virtues and practices produced it and who can truly attest to it.
Nārada raises a probing set of questions about a person’s attained ‘siddhi’ (accomplishment): what deeds earned it, where austerities were performed, and how such a person is known in heaven or among people. The tone is investigative, challenging assumptions and demanding a clear account of merit.