Shloka 8
Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections
उवाच नियमज्ञा च कल्याणी सा प्रियंवदा । भगवन् मुनिशार्दूल किमाज्ञापयसि प्रभो
uvāca niyamajñā ca kalyāṇī sā priyaṃvadā | bhagavan munisārdūla kim ājñāpayasi prabho ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Khi ấy, nàng Śrutāvatī—người nữ cát tường, am tường giới nguyện, lời nói dịu dàng—kính cẩn thưa rằng: “Bạch đấng tôn quý, hỡi bậc thánh hiền, hổ trong hàng ẩn sĩ, thưa chúa tể—ngài truyền dạy điều gì cho thiếp?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic comportment: disciplined observance (niyama), gentle truthful speech (priyaṃvadā), and respectful submission to rightful authority (a sage’s instruction). Ethical strength is shown through self-restraint and reverent inquiry—asking what duty is to be done.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a virtuous, vow-knowing woman addresses a great sage with honorifics and asks what he wishes her to do, signaling a moment where guidance, duty, and personal conduct are about to be tested through instruction.