Shloka 18

बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya

Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī

Devanagari script

प्रणष्टे तु तदा वह्लौ देवा: सर्वे सवासवा:

Transliteration

praṇaṣṭe tu tadā vahlau devāḥ sarve savāsavāḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als damals das heilige Feuer verschwunden war, gerieten alle Götter—zusammen mit Vāsava (Indra)—in große Bestürzung, denn sie spürten einen Riss in der rechten Ordnung, die durch Ritual und göttliche Gegenwart getragen wird.

Word by Word

• प्रणष्टे: had perished/was destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश्
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• वह्लौ: in the fire (Agni)
• वह्लौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्लि
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सवासवाः: together with Indra (Vāsava)
• सवासवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-वासव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Agni (sacred fire)
• Devāḥ (the gods)
• Vāsava (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that the disappearance of the sacred fire signifies a breakdown in ritual and cosmic order; even the gods respond with concern, implying that dharma is sustained through proper rites and their continuity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a crucial fire (Agni) is said to have vanished; this portent immediately affects the divine realm, and all the gods, including Indra, react with alarm at the ominous disruption.