Shloka 73
Uttaṅka’s Petition for Madayantī’s Divine Earrings (Maṇikuṇḍala) — Agreement, Proof, and Vigilance
उत्तड़क: काष्ठ भारं च महान्तं समुपानयत् । किंतु वे गुरुवत्सल महर्षि यह नहीं जान सके कि मेरा बुढ़ापा आ गया। राजेन्द्र! एक दिन उत्तंक मुनि लकड़ियाँ लानेके लिये वनमें गये और वहाँसे काठका बहुत बड़ा बोझ उठा लाये
Uttaṅkaḥ kāṣṭha-bhāraṃ ca mahāntaṃ samupānayat.
毗湿摩耶那说道：优陀迦搬来了一大捆柴薪。然而那位圣仙——如师长般怜爱弟子——却未察觉我已至老境。噢，诸王之最！有一日，苦行者优陀迦入林采薪，归来时肩负着极其沉重的一大担木柴。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined service and humility in the guru–disciple tradition: the disciple undertakes strenuous duties without complaint, and the passage also reflects on how time and aging can go unnoticed amid routine and affection.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that the ascetic Uttaṅka goes to the forest to collect fuel and returns carrying a very heavy load of wood, while the speaker notes that the affectionate sage did not recognize that the speaker had grown old.