Shloka 35
Dhruva-vaṁśa Continuation: Utkala’s Renunciation, Aṅga’s Sacrifice, and the Birth of Vena
Prelude to Pṛthu
इति व्यवसिता विप्रास्तस्य राज्ञ: प्रजातये । पुरोडाशं निरवपन् शिपिविष्टाय विष्णवे ॥ ३५ ॥
iti vyavasitā viprās tasya rājñaḥ prajātaye puroḍāśaṁ niravapan śipi-viṣṭāya viṣṇave
Thus the brāhmaṇas, resolved to obtain progeny for King Aṅga, offered the puroḍāśa oblation to Viṣṇu Śipiviṣṭa, who dwells within the hearts of all living beings.
According to sacrificial rituals, animals are sometimes sacrificed in the yajña arena. Such animals are sacrificed not to kill them but to give them new life. Such action was an experiment to observe whether the Vedic mantras were being properly pronounced. Sometimes small animals are killed in a medical laboratory to investigate therapeutic effects. In a medical clinic, the animals are not revived, but in the yajña arena, when animals were sacrificed, they were again given life by the potency of Vedic mantras. The word śipi-viṣṭāya appears in this verse. Śipi means “the flames of the sacrifice.” In the sacrificial fire if the oblations are offered into the flames, then Lord Viṣṇu is situated there in the form of the flames. Therefore Lord Viṣṇu is known as Śipiviṣṭa.
FAQs
In this verse, puroḍāśa refers to a sacrificial rice-cake offering prepared by brāhmaṇas and offered into the sacred fire as part of a Vedic rite meant to please Lord Viṣṇu and obtain a desired result—here, progeny for the king.
Because the Bhagavatam presents Viṣṇu as the ultimate bestower of auspicious results, the brāhmaṇas, having decided on the proper ritual course, offered the puroḍāśa to Him specifically to secure offspring for the king.
The verse highlights purposeful, dharmic action: make a clear resolve, seek divine shelter, and perform one’s duties with devotion—placing results in the hands of Viṣṇu rather than relying only on personal effort.