Shloka 39

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

जनमेजय उवाच कस्मात्‌ सरस्वती ब्रद्यान्‌ निवृत्ता प्राडमुखी भवत्‌ । व्याख्यातमेतदिच्छामि सर्वमध्वर्युसत्तम

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca kasmāt sarasvatī bradyān nivṛttā prāḍmukhī bhavat | vyākhyātam etad icchāmi sarvam adhvaryusattama ||

Translation

Janamejaya sprach: „Aus welchem Grund kehrte die Sarasvatī, obwohl sie rasch dahinströmte, um und wandte sich nach Osten? O Bester unter den Opferpriestern, ich wünsche, die ganze Angelegenheit erklärt zu hören.“

Word by Word

जनमेजयःJanamejaya

उवाचsaid

कस्मात्from what cause? why?

सरस्वतीSarasvatī (river/goddess)

ब्रद्यात्would/should flow (go)

निवृत्ताhaving turned back, having ceased/returned

प्राक्eastward; towards the east

मुखीfacing (having the face) toward

अभवत्became, was

व्याख्यातम्explained, expounded

एतत्this

इच्छामिI wish/desire

सर्वम्all, the whole (matter)

अध्वर्यु-सत्तमO best of Adhvaryu priests

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

Sarasvatī

Adhvaryu (best of priests)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks a complete, reasoned explanation from a qualified ritual authority, emphasizing that sacred phenomena and traditions should be understood through careful questioning and authoritative exposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya asks the chief priest-narrator to explain why the sacred river Sarasvatī, described as flowing swiftly, reversed course and became east-facing, requesting the full account behind this unusual event.