Adhyaya 18 — Arjuna Declines the Throne; Garga Directs Him to Dattatreya; The Gods Defeat the Daityas through Dattatreya’s Vision and the Movement of Lakshmi
सृष्टानुवाक्यलावण्यमाज्ञामवितथां तथा ।
मुखसंस्था कवित्वञ्च यच्छत्युदधिसम्भवा ॥
sṛṣṭānuvākya-lāvaṇyam ājñām avitathāṃ tathā / mukhasaṃsthā kavitvañ ca yacchaty udadhisambhavā
“Si Lakṣmī, na isinilang mula sa karagatan, kapag nananahan sa bibig, ipinagkakaloob Niya ang kagandahan ng pananalita, mga utos na hindi pumapalya (mabisang kapangyarihan), at gayundin ang kaloob ng pagkamakata.”
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
Right speech and effective leadership are treated as forms of prosperity; Lakṣmī’s ‘presence’ in speech implies that truthfulness, clarity, and beauty of expression create success.
Instructional/ethical teaching (dharma of speech and authority) within a narrative frame, not a cosmological or dynastic account.
Mouth as vāg-indriya: when speech is auspicious (śubha-vāk), it becomes a vehicle of śrī—manifesting as influence, artistry, and the capacity to shape outcomes.