Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
यदा53तिष्ठ: समुद्रस्य पूर्वकूले विलेलिहन्
yadā tiṣṭhaḥ samudrasya pūrva-kūle vilelihan
เมื่อท่านยืนอยู่ ณ ฝั่งตะวันออกแห่งมหาสมุทร แล้วเลีย (สายน้ำ) ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่า…
शक्र उवाच
The imagery of “licking the ocean” points to the futility of trying to satisfy boundless craving through repeated indulgence; it implicitly commends restraint and discernment as ethical strengths.
Indra (Śakra) addresses someone by recalling a striking past scene—standing on the ocean’s eastern shore and repeatedly lapping at it—setting up a moral or explanatory point about that behavior and its implications.