Shloka 68

Origins of the Maruts — Across the Manvantaras

Devanagari script

तां मृतामृषयो दृष्ट्वा कष्टं कष्टेति वादिनः प्रजग्मुर्ज्वलनाच्चापि सप्ताजायन्त दारकाः

Transliteration

tāṃ mṛtāmṛṣayo dṛṣṭvā kaṣṭaṃ kaṣṭeti vādinaḥ prajagmurjvalanāccāpi saptājāyanta dārakāḥ

Translation

Seeing her dead, the sages exclaimed, ‘Alas, alas!’ Then, from the blazing fire as well, seven children were born.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice continuing the account; sages react verbally within the narrative.

Key Themes

• Marvel (adbhuta) birth from fire
• Sages’ lamentation
• Transition from tragedy to providential outcome

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

How should ‘seven children born from the fire’ be understood—literal or symbolic?

Purāṇic narrative allows both registers. Literally, it presents a miraculous birth (adbhuta) indicating divine orchestration. Symbolically, ‘fire’ can signify transformation and purification, with the ‘seven’ often functioning as a complete set (sapta as a fullness-number) that may later map onto groups (e.g., attendants, winds, or ritual/sevenfold structures), depending on the chapter’s continuation.

Is there a known Purāṇic pattern of ‘sapta’ births connected to sacred places?

Yes. Many tīrtha-māhātmyas explain local sanctity through extraordinary births, boons, or manifestations. The number seven frequently resonates with Vedic-Purāṇic cosmology (seven worlds, seven rivers in some lists, seven sages, seven flames), lending the place a cosmically ‘complete’ aura.

What is the significance of the sages’ cry ‘kaṣṭaṃ kaṣṭam’?

It is a conventional lament marking a dharmic rupture or intense suffering. In narrative logic, it heightens pathos and legitimizes the need for a higher authority (often a deity or cosmic lord) to intervene and restore order.