Shloka 46
The Rise of Soma-vaṁśa: Budha’s Birth and Purūravā–Urvaśī; The Origin of Karma-kāṇḍa in Tretā-yuga
तस्य निर्मन्थनाज्जातो जातवेदा विभावसु: । त्रय्या स विद्यया राज्ञा पुत्रत्वे कल्पितस्त्रिवृत् ॥ ४६ ॥
tasya nirmanthanāj jāto jāta-vedā vibhāvasuḥ trayyā sa vidyayā rājñā putratve kalpitas tri-vṛt
From Purūravā’s churning of the araṇis arose the sacred fire, Jātavedā Vibhāvasu. Through the Trayi-vidyā embodied in the praṇava a‑u‑m, that fire grants success in worldly enjoyment and brings purification in conception, initiation, and the performance of yajña; therefore the king regarded the fire as his son.
According to the Vedic process, one can get a son through semen ( śukra ), one can get a bona fide disciple through initiation ( sāvitra ), or one can get a son or disciple through the fire of sacrifice ( yajña ). Thus when Mahārāja Purūravā generated the fire by rubbing the araṇis, the fire became his son. Either by semen, by initiation or by yajña one may get a son. The Vedic mantra oṁkāra, or praṇava, consisting of the letters a-u-m, can call each of these three methods into existence. Therefore the words nirmanthanāj jātaḥ indicate that by the rubbing of the araṇis a son was born.
FAQs
This verse identifies the manifested sacrificial fire as Jātavedā—Agni who “knows all births/offerings”—and calls him Vibhāvasu, the brilliant, illuminating fire born from the churning of the fire-sticks.
‘Trayyā vidyayā’ refers to the threefold Vedic knowledge (the Vedas and their ritual science) by which the king could properly invoke and establish Agni, even recognizing him ceremonially as a ‘son’ (Trivṛt).
It highlights that sacred outcomes arise from disciplined, scripturally guided practice—today expressed as sincere sādhana (hearing, chanting, worship) performed with knowledge, purity, and reverence.