Shloka 12
Ṛśyaśṛṅga’s Luring, Rainfall at Aṅga, and Reconciliation with Vibhāṇḍaka (ऋश्यशृङ्गोपाख्यानम्)
विभाण्डकस्याव्रजत: स राजा पशून् प्रभूतान् पशुपांश्न वीरान् समादिशत् पुत्रगृद्धी महर्षि- विभाण्डक: परिपृच्छेद् यदा व:,राजाने विभाण्डक मुनिके आगमन-पथमें बहुत-से पशु तथा वीर पशुरक्षक भी नियुक्त कर दिये और सबको यह आदेश दे दिया था कि जब पुत्रकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले महर्षि विभाण्डक तुमसे पूछें तब हाथ जोड़कर उन्हें इस प्रकार उत्तर देना--“ये सब आपके पुत्रके ही पशु हैं, ये खेत भी उन्हींके जोते जा रहे हैं। महर्षे! आज्ञा दें, हम आपका कौन-सा प्रिय कार्य करें। हम सब लोग आपके आज्ञापालक दास हैं"
Vibhāṇḍakasyāvrajataḥ sa rājā paśūn prabhūtān paśupāṃś ca vīrān samādiśat putragṛddhī maharṣi-vibhāṇḍakaḥ paripṛcched yadā vaḥ.
Quando o sábio Vibhāṇḍaka vinha a caminho, aquele rei dispôs abundante gado e valentes vaqueiros ao longo das rotas, e lhes deu esta ordem: “Quando o grande vidente Vibhāṇḍaka—que anseia por um filho—vos perguntar, respondei com as mãos postas: ‘Todo este gado é de teu filho; estes campos também estão sendo arados para ele. Ó grande sábio, ordena: que serviço, do teu agrado, devemos prestar? Somos todos servos obedientes à tua palavra.’”
विभाण्डक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how power can employ reverence and gifts to sway a renunciant, prompting reflection on dharma: true service and hospitality should be sincere, not a tool for manipulation; likewise, one should be vigilant about being influenced through flattery and material inducements.
A king, anticipating that the sage Vibhāṇḍaka may question the herdsmen, stations cattle and guards and instructs them to respond submissively—claiming the cattle and fields are for the sage’s son and offering themselves as obedient servants—thereby setting a persuasive scene meant to shape the sage’s response.