Shloka 1
Uttaṅka’s Petition for Madayantī’s Divine Earrings (Maṇikuṇḍala) — Agreement, Proof, and Vigilance
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आश्वमेधिकपववके अन्तर्गत अनुगीतापर्वमें उत्तडुको पाख्यानमें कृष्णवाक्यविषयक पचपनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ५५ ॥ (दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ५ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ४२ श्लोक हैं) भीकम (2 अमान षट्पज्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: उत्तंककी गुरुभक्तिका वर्णन
Janamejaya uvāca: Uttankaḥ kena tapasā saṃyukto vai mahāmanāḥ | yaḥ śāpaṃ dātukāmo 'bhūd viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave ||
Sa ganitong paraan, sa Mahābhārata, sa Aśvamedhika Parva, sa loob ng Anugītā-parva, sa salaysay ni Uttaṅka, natapos ang ikalimampu’t limang kabanata hinggil sa mga salita ni Kṛṣṇa. Pagkaraan, nagsalita si Janamejaya: “O Brahmin, sa anong pag-aayuno at disiplina ng espiritu pinagkalooban ang dakilang-loob na si Uttaṅka, na nagkaroon pa siya ng hangaring sumpain si Viṣṇu—ang Makapangyarihang Panginoon, pinagmumulan ng lahat ng kapangyarihan?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between ascetic power (tapas) and moral restraint: even a highly disciplined sage can be driven toward harmful speech (śāpa) if anger overrides discernment. It invites reflection on how spiritual attainment should be governed by dharma, humility, and self-control—especially when directed toward the divine or toward those beyond ordinary accountability.
Janamejaya, hearing about Uttanka, asks the sage-narrator what kind of austerity empowered Uttanka so greatly that he contemplated cursing Viṣṇu himself. This question sets up the ensuing account of Uttanka’s intense guru-devotion and the events that lead him into confrontation and indignation, revealing both his spiritual potency and the risks of righteous anger.