ततश्च सर्वदेवेभ्यस्तेजोरूपबलाधिकः । बुधः सोमं समापृच्छय तपसे कृतनिश्चयः
tataśca sarvadevebhyastejorūpabalādhikaḥ | budhaḥ somaṃ samāpṛcchaya tapase kṛtaniścayaḥ
Sau đó Budha—vượt hơn mọi chư thiên về hào quang, dung mạo và sức lực—đã quyết chí tu khổ hạnh, đến gặp Soma và hỏi Ngài.
Skanda (to Agastya, deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Scene: Budha, youthful and radiant, stands before Soma with composed intensity; his aura outshines surrounding devas; his posture shows resolve to undertake austerity; Soma appears regal and lunar-bright, receiving the question.
Spiritual maturity is shown by firm resolve (niścaya) and turning toward tapas to clarify destiny and purpose.
The verse anticipates Budha’s journey to Kāśī, the foremost mokṣa-kṣetra.
Tapas (austerity) is indicated as Budha’s chosen discipline, though details appear later.