Shloka 1
Uttaṅka’s Petition for Madayantī’s Divine Earrings (Maṇikuṇḍala) — Agreement, Proof, and Vigilance
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आश्वमेधिकपववके अन्तर्गत अनुगीतापर्वमें उत्तडुको पाख्यानमें कृष्णवाक्यविषयक पचपनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ५५ ॥ (दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ५ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ४२ श्लोक हैं) भीकम (2 अमान षट्पज्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: उत्तंककी गुरुभक्तिका वर्णन
Janamejaya uvāca: Uttankaḥ kena tapasā saṃyukto vai mahāmanāḥ | yaḥ śāpaṃ dātukāmo 'bhūd viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave ||
ਜਨਮੇਜਯ ਨੇ ਪੁੱਛਿਆ—ਹੇ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ! ਮਹਾਤਮਾ ਉੱਤੰਕ ਮੁਨੀ ਕਿਹੜੀ ਤਪੱਸਿਆ ਨਾਲ ਯੁਕਤ ਸਨ ਕਿ ਸਭ ਸ਼ਕਤੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਮੂਲ, ਪਰਾਕ੍ਰਮੀ ਵਿਸ਼ਣੂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਸ਼ਾਪ ਦੇਣ ਦਾ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਸੰਕਲਪ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ?
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between ascetic power (tapas) and moral restraint: even a highly disciplined sage can be driven toward harmful speech (śāpa) if anger overrides discernment. It invites reflection on how spiritual attainment should be governed by dharma, humility, and self-control—especially when directed toward the divine or toward those beyond ordinary accountability.
Janamejaya, hearing about Uttanka, asks the sage-narrator what kind of austerity empowered Uttanka so greatly that he contemplated cursing Viṣṇu himself. This question sets up the ensuing account of Uttanka’s intense guru-devotion and the events that lead him into confrontation and indignation, revealing both his spiritual potency and the risks of righteous anger.