Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 26
Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections
तच्चास्या वचन नित्यमवर्तद्धूदि भारत । सर्वथा बदराण्येव पक्तव्यानीति कन्यका
tac cāsyā vacanaṃ nityam avartad dhūdi bhārata | sarvathā badarāṇy eva paktavyānīti kanyakā ||
ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า—โอ ภารตะ! ถ้อยคำของนางนั้นวนเวียนอยู่ในใจเขาไม่ขาด—“ไม่ว่าอย่างไร ต้องปรุงแต่ผลพุทราเท่านั้น” กล่าวโดยกุมารี
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores fidelity to a prescribed instruction: ethical care is shown by doing what is enjoined exactly as stated, without substitution or negligence, so that duty is fulfilled in the intended manner.
Vaiśampāyana reports that a maiden’s directive—insisting that only jujubes be cooked—kept repeating in someone’s mind, indicating its importance and the pressure to follow her specific instruction precisely.