Shloka 20
सगरस्य पुत्रलाभः
Sagara’s Boons, Progeny, and the Rise of the Sixty Thousand
स च ज्येष्ठो नरश्रेष्ठ सगरस्यात्मसम्भव:।बालान् गृहीत्वा तु जले सरय्वा रघुनन्दन।।।।प्रक्षिप्य प्रहसन्नित्यं मज्जतस्तान् समीक्ष्य वै।
sa ca jyeṣṭho naraśreṣṭha sagarasyātmasambhavaḥ | bālān gṛhītvā tu jale sarayvā raghunandana || prakṣipya prahasan nityaṃ majjatas tān samīkṣya vai ||
আর সগরের সেই জ্যেষ্ঠ পুত্র—হে নরশ্রেষ্ঠ, হে রঘুনন্দন—শিশুদের ধরে সরযূর জলে নিক্ষেপ করত; আর তাদের ডুবতে দেখে বারবার হাসত॥
O best among men, delight of the Raghus (in the mean time) sagara's eldest son Asamanjasa, used to seize hold of children and throw them into the waters of river Sarayu. And while they were drowning, he was laughing.
FAQs
Dharma rejects cruelty and harm to innocents; delighting in others’ suffering is presented as a clear mark of adharma, especially grave when done by one of royal lineage.
The narrative describes Asamañjasa’s violent misconduct toward children at the Sarayū, setting up the reason for his later punishment.
By contrast (through negation), the virtue emphasized is compassion and protection of the vulnerable—expected of princes and rulers.