Shloka 9
महतकश्नू्णितान् पश्य ये हासन्त महोदधिम् | सुवर्णधारिणा नित्यमवशप्ता द्विजातिना
mahataḥ kṣṇūṇitān paśya ye hāsanta mahodadhim | suvarṇadhāriṇā nityam avaśaptā dvijātinā ||
Arjuna said: “Behold these mighty ones, reduced to ashes—those who once made light of the great ocean. They have been irrevocably cursed by the twice-born sage Kapila, ever bearing a golden radiance. These are the sons of Sagara, who came here in search of the sacrificial horse and reached the sea, now lying as heaps of ash.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical consequence of arrogance and irreverence: even powerful beings who mock or act rashly can be destroyed by the force of dharma embodied in a disciplined sage. It underscores humility before spiritual authority and the moral weight of one’s conduct during sacred pursuits.
Arjuna points out the remains of Sagara’s sons, who had come to the ocean while searching for the sacrificial horse connected with a yajña. They were burned to ashes due to the curse of the Brahmin sage Kapila, and now lie as heaps of ash near the sea.