Shloka 112
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
त उक्त्वा बाढमित्येवं सर्व एव तदा समम् | क्षुधार्ता: सुपरिश्रान्ता: शपथायोपचक्रमु:
ta uktvā bāḍham ity evaṁ sarva eva tadā samam | kṣudhārtāḥ supariśrāntāḥ śapathāyopacakramuḥ ||
فلما سمعوا تلك الكلمات أجابوا جميعًا معًا: «حسنًا». ثم إن أولئك البراهمة—وقد أنهكهم الجوع وأتعبهم الكدّ حتى الغاية—تهيّؤوا مجتمعين لأداء القَسَم.
शुन:सख उवाच
Educational Q&A
A śapatha (solemn oath) is treated as a serious ethical instrument: even when people are hungry and exhausted, they recognize the binding force of a vow and consent unanimously, implying that truth and accountability are not to be set aside due to hardship.
After a proposal or statement is made, everyone responds in agreement (“bāḍham”—‘very well’). The hungry, fatigued brāhmaṇas then proceed together to undertake the act of oath-taking, indicating a formal step toward establishing truth or resolving a matter through a vow.