Shloka 693
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
ऋषयश्च महाभागा: पृच्छन्ति सम पितृंस्ततः । तब मरुदगणोंसहित सम्पूर्ण महाभाग देवता और परम सौभाग्यशाली ऋषियोंने पितरोंसे पूछा--
ṛṣayaś ca mahābhāgāḥ pṛcchanti sama-pitṝṃs tataḥ | tataḥ marud-gaṇaiḥ sahitaḥ sampūrṇaḥ mahābhāga-devatāḥ ca parama-saubhāgyaśālinaḥ ṛṣayaḥ pitṝn apṛcchan ||
Então os sábios de grande fortuna interrogaram os Pitṛs (Pais ancestrais). Naquele momento, as divindades ilustres—juntamente com as hostes dos Maruts—e os ṛṣis supremamente abençoados aproximaram-se dos Pitṛs e lhes perguntaram, buscando orientação autorizada sobre a reta conduta e a lei ancestral.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic method: even gods and great sages seek clarification from the Pitṛs, acknowledging ancestral authority and the importance of learning right conduct through respectful inquiry.
In Śakra’s narration, the sages—along with the Maruts and other deities—approach the Pitṛs and question them, setting up a discourse where the Pitṛs will explain principles related to dharma and ancestral obligations.