Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 18, Shloka 25
Adhyaya 18 — Arjuna Declines the Throne; Garga Directs Him to Dattatreya; The Gods Defeat the Daityas through Dattatreya’s Vision and the Movement of Lakshmi
आराधयामासुरधः स्थितास्तिष्ठन्तमासने ।
स प्राह प्रणतान् देवान् दत्तात्रेयः किमिष्यते ।
मत्तो भवद्भिर्येनेयं शुश्रूषा क्रियते मम ॥
ārādhayāmāsur adhaḥ sthitās tiṣṭhantam āsane |
sa prāha praṇatān devān dattātreyaḥ kimiṣyate |
matto bhavadbhir yeneyaṃ śuśrūṣā kriyate mama ||
ਉਹ ਆਪਣੇ ਆਸਨ ਉੱਤੇ ਬੈਠਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਹੇਠਾਂ ਖੜ੍ਹ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਰਹੇ। ਤਦ ਦੱਤਾਤ੍ਰੇਯ ਨੇ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਮ ਕਰਦੇ ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਹਾ— “ਤੁਸੀਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲੋਂ ਕੀ ਮੰਗਦੇ ਹੋ? ਕਿਸ ਕਾਰਨ ਇਹ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹੋ?”
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FAQs
True giving/service should be transparent about intention. The sage’s question exposes motive, refining devotion from mere transaction into conscious petition aligned with dharma.
Didactic dialogue embedded in narrative: a common Purāṇic device to pivot from action to meaning (why the devas came), supporting dharma-oriented instruction.
The guru’s question is an inner inquiry: ‘What do you truly seek?’ It turns the seeker from external crisis to inward clarity—without which boons become another form of bondage.