Shloka 21
Marutta Seeks a Priest: Bṛhaspati’s Refusal and Nārada’s Guidance to Saṃvarta
Chapter 6
कथं च तस्मै वर्तेयं कथं मां न परित्यजेत् । प्रत्याख्यातश्न तेनापि नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे
kathaṃ ca tasmai varteyaṃ kathaṃ māṃ na parityajet | pratyākhyātas tena api nāhaṃ jīvitum utsahe ||
Марутта сказал: «Как мне вести себя с ним, и как сделать так, чтобы он не оставил меня? Даже если он откажет мне, у меня не хватит духа жить дальше.»
मरुत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical importance of humble, careful conduct toward a revered guide: one should act in a way that preserves trust and avoids giving cause for abandonment, recognizing that rejection by a worthy person is spiritually devastating.
King Marutta, anxious to secure the support of a powerful sage, asks how he should approach and behave so that the sage will not leave him; he expresses that if he is turned away, he feels unable to continue living.