Adhyaya 63 — The Birth of Svarocis and the Rescue of Manoramā: The Astra-Heart and the Healing of Curses
साहं यथा ते दुःखार्ते मत्कृते कन्यके पितः ।
तथा स्थास्यामि तद्दुःखे तच्छोकानलतापिता ॥
sāhaṃ yathā te duḥkhārte matkṛte kanyake pitaḥ / tathā sthāsyāmi tadduḥkhe tacchokānalatāpitā
“Wahai bapa kepada gadis itu! Sebagaimana aku telah melihat tuan ditimpa dukacita kerana diriku, demikian juga aku akan tetap berada dalam dukacita yang sama, diseksa oleh api kesedihan itu.”
The verse foregrounds empathy and moral accountability: one who becomes the cause of another’s grief should not be indifferent to its consequences, but recognize and share the burden of suffering.
Primarily Manvantara: the Purāṇa embeds ethical narratives within the account of a specific Manu’s era, illustrating dharma through exemplary (or cautionary) episodes.
“Fire of grief” (śokānala) is a classic inner-heat metaphor: sorrow is depicted as an internal conflagration, implying that healing requires not only external remedy but also the cooling of the mind through right resolution and restoration.