Shloka 18
Tīrtha-Sevana and the Cursed Apsaras
Grāha-Encounter at Saubhadra Tīrtha
ततः सुन्दोपसुन्दौ तौ भ्रातरौ दृढविक्रमौ । दृष्टवा पितामहं देवं तस्थतु: प्राजजली तदा,तदनन्तर सुदृढ़ पराक्रमी दोनों भाई सुन्द और उपसुन्द भगवान् ब्रह्माको उपस्थित देख हाथ जोड़कर खड़े हो गये और एक साथ भगवान् ब्रह्मासे बोले--'भगवन्! यदि आप हमारी तपस्यासे प्रसन्न हैं तो हम दोनों सम्पूर्ण मायाओंके ज्ञाता, अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके विद्वान, बलवान इच्छानुसार रूप धारण करनेवाले और अमर हो जाये
tataḥ sundopasundau tau bhrātarau dṛḍha-vikramau | dṛṣṭvā pitāmahaṁ devaṁ tasthatuḥ prāñjalī tadā ||
Then the two brothers Sunda and Upasunda, firm in valor, on beholding the divine Pitāmaha (Brahmā), stood there with hands joined in reverence.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverence and austerity can win divine attention, but the ethical direction of one’s desires matters: seeking power as an end in itself, without dharmic restraint, tends to generate harm and self-destruction.
Sunda and Upasunda, having performed austerities, come before Brahmā. Seeing him, they stand with folded hands in respectful submission, poised to request boons as the reward for their tapas.