Shloka 28
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
श्रेयस्तव विधास्यामि बल॑ तेजश्च सुव्रत
śreyas tava vidhāsyāmi balaṁ tejaś ca suvrata | uttama-vrata-pālanakaraṇevāle putra! ahaṁ tvāṁ kalyāṇaṁ kariṣyāmi ca tava antar teja evaṁ bala-vṛddhiṁ karomi | tvaṁ mattaḥ sātvata-nāmakaṁ dharmaṁ gṛhāṇa, tena ca vidhivat satyayugasya sṛṣṭiṁ kṛtvā tasya pratiṣṭhāṁ kuru ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—“اے نیک عہد والے! میں تیری اعلیٰ بھلائی کا سامان کروں گا؛ اے بیٹے، تیرے اندر قوت اور تجلّی کو برابر بڑھاتا رہوں گا۔ تو مجھ سے ‘ساتوت’ نامی یہ دھرم قبول کر۔”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True welfare (śreyas) is achieved through disciplined acceptance of dharma: the speaker promises inner strength and radiance, but ties it to receiving and practicing the Sātvata-dharma and using it to establish an order modeled on Satya-yuga—an ethical ideal of truth, proper conduct, and stability.
Vaiśampāyana reports a blessing and instruction addressed to a ‘son’ or disciple: the elder assures the recipient of protection and empowerment (bala, tejas), then commands him to adopt the Sātvata-dharma and, by proper procedure (vidhivat), to ‘create’ and ‘establish’ the conditions of Satya-yuga—i.e., to restore righteous order in the world.