Mahabharata 9.46.99 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 46, Shloka 99

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site

Devanagari script

कोई उनके विषयमें यह निश्चय करने लगे कि “ये ब्रह्माजीके पुत्र, सबके अग्रज एवं ब्रह्मयोनि सनत्कुमार हैं' ।।

Transliteration

ke cin maheśvara-sutaṁ ke cit putraṁ vibhāvasoḥ | umāyāḥ kṛttikānāṁ ca gaṅgāyāś ca vadanty uta ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Some concluded, “He is Sanatkumāra, the son of Brahmā—eldest of all and the very womb of sacred knowledge.” Others, however, called him the son of Maheśvara (Śiva); some, the son of Vibhāvasu (Agni); and others declared him the son of Umā (Pārvatī), of the Kṛttikās, and even of Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क- (कश्चित्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महेश्वरसुतम्: the son of Maheshvara (Shiva)
• महेश्वरसुतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर-सुत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क- (कश्चित्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विभावसोः: of Vibhāvasu (Agni)
• विभावसोः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभावसु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• उमायाः: of Umā (Pārvatī)
• उमायाः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• कृत्तिकानाम्: of the Kṛttikās (Pleiades)
• कृत्तिकानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गङ्गायाः: of Gaṅgā
• गङ्गायाः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• वदन्ति: they say
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद्
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• उत: also / moreover
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vibhāvasu (Agni)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Kṛttikās
• Gaṅgā
• Sanatkumāra (as referenced in the Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that sacred figures may be understood through multiple, overlapping traditions; different communities attribute the same being to different divine sources, suggesting that mythic truth can be multi-perspectival rather than confined to a single genealogy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports differing claims about a revered figure’s parentage: some call him Śiva’s son, others Agni’s, and others connect him to Pārvatī, the Kṛttikās, and Gaṅgā—indicating widespread debate or varied received accounts about his origin.