Shloka 29
भृगुवंश-प्रस्तावना तथा पुलोमा–अग्नि-संवादः
Bhrigu Lineage Preface and the Pulomā–Agni Dialogue
श्र॒त्वा त्वत्तो भुगोर्भाया हरिष्याम्याश्रमादिमाम् | जातवेद: पश्यतस्ते वद सत्यां गिरं मम,'सर्वज्ञ अग्निदेव! तुम्हारे मुखसे सब बातें सुनकर मैं भूगुकी इस भार्याको तुम्हारे देखते-देखते इस आश्रमसे हर ले जाऊँगा; इसलिये मुझसे सच्ची बात कहो”
śrutvā tvatto bhṛgor bhāryāṁ hariṣyāmy āśramād imām | jātavedaḥ paśyatas te vada satyāṁ giraṁ mama ||
“O Jātavedas (Agni), once I have heard everything from your mouth, I will carry off this wife of Bhṛgu from this āśrama—before your very eyes. Therefore, speak to me a truthful word.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truth) as a demanded ethical standard even under pressure, while simultaneously highlighting how threats and coercion themselves violate dharma—especially when directed at the sanctity of an āśrama and the safety of a woman under protection.
Śaunaka confronts Agni (Jātavedas) and, after hearing him, issues a threat to abduct Bhṛgu’s wife from the hermitage in Agni’s very presence, insisting that Agni must tell him the truth—setting up a tense moral confrontation involving divine testimony and dharmic boundaries.