Shloka 14
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
तत् कुक्षिणा वै ब्रह्म्षे त्वद्धक्त्या धृतवत्यहम् । न विनाशमिदं गच्छेत् त्वत्तेज इति निश्चयात्
tat kukṣiṇā vai brahman te tvadbhaktyā dhṛtavaty aham | na vināśam idaṃ gacchet tvatteja iti niścayāt ||
“ข้าแต่พรหมฤๅษี ด้วยความภักดีต่อท่านเท่านั้น ข้าจึงอุ้มชูสิ่งนี้ไว้ในครรภ์ เพราะข้ามั่นใจแน่ว่า สิ่งซึ่งดำรงอยู่ด้วยเดชตบะของท่าน ย่อมไม่ถึงความพินาศ”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes steadfast faith: devotion to a righteous, spiritually potent person (tejas) becomes a ground for confidence that what is protected by such spiritual power will not be destroyed.
A woman speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) explains that she carried what was in her womb because of devotion to the addressed Brahman, trusting that his spiritual radiance would prevent its ruin.