Shloka 2
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
पितृभक्तो$सि विप्रर्षे मां चैव शरणं गत: । ततो दृष्टो$स्मि ते साक्षाद् ब्रह्मचर्य च ते महत्,ब्रह्मर्ष! तुम पितृभक्त हो, मेरी शरणमें आये हो और तुमने महान् ब्रह्मचर्यका पालन किया है। इन्हीं सब कारणोंसे तुम्हें मेरे साक्षात् स््वरूपका दर्शन हुआ
pitṛbhakto ’si viprarṣe māṃ caiva śaraṇaṃ gataḥ | tato dṛṣṭo ’smi te sākṣād brahmacaryaṃ ca te mahat, brahmarṣe ||
“Ó melhor dos sábios entre os brāhmaṇas, és devoto de teus antepassados (pitṛ) e também tomaste refúgio em mim. Por isso apareci diante de ti diretamente; e tua grande observância do brahmacarya, ó brahmarṣi, foi igualmente uma causa decisiva. Por essas virtudes—piedade filial, entrega e disciplina de castidade—foi-te concedida a visão da minha forma manifesta.”
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that divine grace and direct spiritual experience (darśana) are grounded in ethical and devotional disciplines: honoring one’s ancestors (pitṛbhakti), taking refuge in the divine (śaraṇāgati), and maintaining rigorous self-control, especially brahmacarya.
A deity addresses a sage and explains why the sage has been granted a direct vision: the sage’s devotion to the forefathers, his surrender to the deity, and his great practice of brahmacarya together have made him worthy of this encounter.