Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
न चायमलसो भिक्षुरभ्य भाषत किंचन । उन्होंने सोचा, “इनकी पूजा करते हुए मुझे बहुत वर्ष बीत गये; परंतु वे आलसी भिक्षु आजतक एक बात भी नहीं बोले'
na cāyam alaso bhikṣur abhyabhāṣata kiñcana |
न चायमलसो भिक्षुरभ्यभाषत किंचन। स चिन्तयामास—“अस्य पूजां कुर्वतो मम बहवो वर्षा व्यतीताः; तथाप्येष आलसो भिक्षुरद्यापि वाक्यमेकमपि नाभाषत।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the moral strain that can arise when long-term reverence and service meet with silence. It invites reflection on patience and selfless devotion versus the human tendency to seek recognition, instruction, or reciprocation from those one honors.
The narrator states that a certain mendicant—described as indolent—does not respond at all. This prompts an internal complaint or observation that many years of worship/service have passed, yet the ascetic has never spoken even once.