Shloka 6

Śārṅgaka-stuti to Agni during the Khāṇḍava Conflagration (शार्ङ्गक-स्तुतिः / अग्नि-स्तुतिः)

Devanagari script

कालस्य महतो राजंस्तस्य वाक्यं स्वयम्भुव: । अनुस्मृत्य जगामाथ पुनरेव पितामहम्‌,तब अगनि्निने ब्रह्माजीसे कहा--'“अच्छा, ऐसा ही सही।” तदनन्तर दीर्घकालके पश्चात्‌ नर-नारायण ऋषियोंके अवतीर्ण होनेकी बात जानकर अग्निदेवको ब्रह्माजीकी बातका स्मरण हुआ। राजन! तब वे पुनः ब्रह्माजीके पास गये

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kālasya mahato rājan tasya vākyam svayambhuvaḥ | anusmṛtya jagāmātha punar eva pitāmaham ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, after a long time had passed, recalling the words of the Self-born Creator (Brahmā), he went once again to Pitāmaha (Brahmā).” The sense is that a prior divine instruction was remembered at the appropriate moment, and action was taken in accordance with it.

Word by Word

• {'kālasya': 'of time', 'mahataḥ': 'great, long (of duration)', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative address)', 'tasya': 'his/that (referring to the previously mentioned person/statement)', 'vākyam': 'word, statement, instruction', 'svayambhuvaḥ': 'of the Self-born (epithet of Brahmā)', 'anusmṛtya': 'having recollected, remembering', 'jagāma': 'went', 'atha': 'then', 'punar': 'again', 'eva': 'indeed, just', 'pitāmaham': 'the Grandsire (Brahmā)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brahmā (Svayambhū, Pitāmaha)
• King (rājan; Janamejaya as addressee in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights fidelity to a prior righteous instruction: when the right time comes, one should remember authoritative guidance and act accordingly, rather than ignoring it due to delay or changing circumstances.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a long interval, the speaker reports that the concerned figure recalls Brahmā’s earlier words and goes again to Brahmā (Pitāmaha), marking a return to the creator for consultation or confirmation.