Shloka 99
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
यातुधान्युवाच नामनैरुक्तमेतत् ते दुःखव्याभाषिताक्षरम् | नैतद् धारयितुं शक््यं गच्छावतर पद्मिनीम्
yātudhānī uvāca nāma-nairuktam etat te duḥkha-vyābhāṣitākṣaram | na etad dhārayituṁ śakyaṁ gaccha āvatara padminīm ||
夜图陀尼说道：“你这名字的语源释义，连念出来都叫我艰难；那些音节带着痛楚才吐得出。因此我记不住。去吧——你也下到那padminī（满是莲花的池/阶井）里去。”
विश्वामित्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of speech and understanding: true knowledge (such as a meaningful explanation of a name) requires clarity of utterance and the capacity to retain it. The demoness’ inability to pronounce or remember suggests inner unfitness for higher understanding, implying that spiritual or moral insight is not merely heard but must be properly received, articulated, and held.
In a tense exchange, the yātudhānī responds to Viśvāmitra that even speaking the etymological explanation of his name is painful and difficult for her, and that remembering it is impossible. She then orders him to go and descend into the padminī, indicating a further step in the encounter—either a test, a coercive command, or a setup within the episode’s unfolding trial.