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
Pilihlah suatu anugerah. Apa yang engkau ucapkan itu ialah rahsia (kebenaran)ku; oleh sebab itu, pada hari ini timbul dalam diriku kepuasan tertinggi terhadapmu, wahai raja.
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.