On Nārāyaṇa’s Ten Avatāras and Eightfold Manifestations, and the Account of King Aśvaśirā
कृताञ्जलिपुटो भूत्वा स राजा अश्वशिरास्तदा । पप्रच्छ तावृषी भक्त्या किमिदं द्विजसत्तमौ ॥ ४.३२ ॥
kṛtāñjalipuṭo bhūtvā sa rājā ’śvaśirās tadā | papraccha tāv ṛṣī bhaktyā kim idaṃ dvijasattamau || 4.32 ||
Kemudian Raja Aśvaśiras, setelah merapatkan kedua tangan dalam añjali penuh hormat, bertanya kepada dua orang resi itu dengan bhakti: “Apakah ini, wahai yang terbaik di antara kaum dwija?”
King Aśvaśiras (inquirer); sages addressed as respondents
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: a royal patron approaches learned sages with humility, framing the transmission of teachings as a dialogic, socially embedded exchange.
No geographic location is specified in this verse; it functions as a narrative transition introducing a question to the sages.
The verse models intellectual humility and respectful inquiry—approaching knowledge through reverence (añjali) and devotion (bhakti) rather than assertion.
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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