Shloka 36

सागरप्रशमनम् / The Pacification of the Ocean and the Building of Nala’s Bridge

Devanagari script

ननादचतदातत्रवसुधाशल्यपीडिता ।तस्माद्ब्राणमुखात्तोयमुत्पपातरसातलात् ।।।।

Transliteration

nanāda ca tadā tatra vasudhā śalya-pīḍitā |

tasmād bāṇa-mukhāt toyam utpapāta rasātalāt ||

Translation

Da dröhnte dort die Erde, vom Schaft durchbohrt und gepeinigt; und aus der Öffnung an der Pfeilspitze schoss Wasser aus den Tiefen der Unterwelt hervor.

Word by Word

ननादroared; resounded

चand

तदाthen

तत्रthere

वसुधाthe earth

शल्यपीडिताpierced and pained (by the arrow as a spike)

तस्मात्from that; therefore

बाणमुखात्from the arrow’s point

तोयम्water

उत्पपातsprang up; burst forth

रसातलात्from the netherworld

Context

At that part of the earth that was creviced by the piercing of the dart, water came out from the underworld.

Characters & Entities

Earth (vasudhā)

Rasātala

Arrow (bāṇa)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse highlights moral causality: actions have consequences that ripple through the natural world; dharmic power is portrayed as capable of opening or restraining forces beneath the surface.

What is the narrative situation?

After the arrow strikes, the earth cracks and roars, and subterranean water erupts upward through the opening created by the arrow.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Controlled potency—Rāma’s power is effective and precise, able to affect hidden realms (rasātala) through a single act.