Shloka 35
कार्त्तिकेयाभिषेकः — Consecration of Kārttikeya and the Enumeration of His Retinue
युगपच्छेलपुत्र्याश्च गज़ाया: पावकस्य च । क॑ नु पूर्वमयं बालो गौरवादशभ्युपैष्यति
yugapac chelaputryāś ca gaṅgāyāḥ pāvakasya ca | kaṃ nu pūrvam ayaṃ bālo gauravād aśabhyupaiṣyati ||
युगपच्छैलपुत्र्याश्च गङ्गायाः पावकस्य च । कं नु पूर्वमयं बालो गौरवादभ्युपैष्यति ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When one owes reverence to multiple venerable sources (such as divine or parental figures), dharma requires humility and careful discernment in deciding the order of honor; respect is not denied to any, but precedence must be chosen thoughtfully.
The narrator raises a question about a young figure who is simultaneously connected with Gaṅgā (the mountain’s daughter) and Agni (Pāvaka): out of respect, whom will he approach first? The verse frames a moment of etiquette and moral priority amid larger events.