वसिष्ठविश्वामित्रौ ते पूजयामासुरादरात् । अर्घ्यैः पाद्यैर्वचोभिश्च नभश्चरमहागणाः ॥ १९ ॥
vasiṣṭhaviśvāmitrau tē pūjayāmāsurādarāt | arghyaiḥ pādyairvacōbhiśca nabhaścaramahāgaṇāḥ || 19 ||
Translation
And the great hosts of those who move in the sky honoured Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra with respect, with water for the hands, water for the feet, and words.
Word by word
- vasiṣṭha
- Vasiṣṭha
- viśvāmitrau
- and Viśvāmitra
- tē
- they
- pūjayāmāsur
- (pūjayāmāsuḥ) honoured
- ādarāt
- with respect
- arghyaiḥ
- with water for the hands
- pādyair
- (pādyaiḥ) water for the feet
- vacōbhiś
- (vacobhiḥ) words
- ca
- and
- nabhaścara
- of those who move in the sky
- mahā
- great
- gaṇāḥ
- the hosts
Meaning
The welcome is returned in the same words: the guests honour their hosts as they were honoured. The verse repeats verse 18 almost word for word, and the repetition is the meaning: respect among the wise is mutual. No one is only the giver of honour or only its receiver. The reader may consider how rarely, in ordinary life, honour flows both ways at once.