अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
पितृभक्तो$सि विप्रर्षे मां चैव शरणं गत: । ततो दृष्टो$स्मि ते साक्षाद् ब्रह्मचर्य च ते महत्,ब्रह्मर्ष! तुम पितृभक्त हो, मेरी शरणमें आये हो और तुमने महान् ब्रह्मचर्यका पालन किया है। इन्हीं सब कारणोंसे तुम्हें मेरे साक्षात् स््वरूपका दर्शन हुआ
pitṛbhakto ’si viprarṣe māṃ caiva śaraṇaṃ gataḥ | tato dṛṣṭo ’smi te sākṣād brahmacaryaṃ ca te mahat, brahmarṣe ||
“婆罗门中最胜的圣者啊,你敬奉祖灵(pitṛ),又归依于我。因此我才亲自显现于你;而你严持广大梵行(brahmacarya),婆罗门仙(brahmarṣi)啊,这亦是决定性的因缘。凭借这些德行——孝敬祖先、投依归命、与清净自持——你得以见我显现之身。”
देव उवाच
The verse teaches that divine grace and direct spiritual experience (darśana) are grounded in ethical and devotional disciplines: honoring one’s ancestors (pitṛbhakti), taking refuge in the divine (śaraṇāgati), and maintaining rigorous self-control, especially brahmacarya.
A deity addresses a sage and explains why the sage has been granted a direct vision: the sage’s devotion to the forefathers, his surrender to the deity, and his great practice of brahmacarya together have made him worthy of this encounter.