Shloka 19
Tīrtha-Sevana and the Cursed Apsaras
Grāha-Encounter at Saubhadra Tīrtha
ऊचतुश्न प्रभुं देव ततस्तौ सहितौ तदा । आवयोस्तपसानेन यदि प्रीत:ः पितामह:,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
nārada uvāca | ūcatuḥ prabhuṃ deva tataḥ tau sahitau tadā | āvayos tapasānena yadi prītaḥ pitāmahaḥ |
Nārada said: Then the two brothers together addressed the Lord, saying, “O divine Master! If the Grandfather Brahmā is pleased by our austerities, then grant us boons.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity can compel divine attention and yield immense power, but the ethical thrust is cautionary: boons sought for domination rather than dharma tend to destabilize the world and rebound upon the seeker.
Sunda and Upasunda, having performed severe tapas, approach Brahmā with folded hands and jointly petition him for extraordinary boons, initiating the well-known episode of their rise through divine favors.