Shloka 28

Marutta’s Sacrifice and Agni’s Embassy (मरुत्त-यज्ञे दूतत्वम्)

Devanagari script

अग्निर्वाच दिवं देवेन्द्र पृथिवीं च सर्वा संवेष्टयेस्त्वं स्‍्वबलेनैव शक्र । एवंविधस्येह सतस्तवासौ कथं वृत्रस्त्रिदिवं प्राग्‌ जहार,अग्निदेवने कहा--देवेन्द्र! आप भी तो अपने बलसे सारी पृथ्वी और स्वर्गलोकको आवेष्टित किये हुए हैं। ऐसे होनेपर भी आपके इस स्वर्गको पूर्वकालमें वृत्रासुरने कैसे हर लिया?

Transliteration

agnir uvāca divaṃ devendra pṛthivīṃ ca sarvāṃ saṃveṣṭayasi tvaṃ svabalenaiva śakra | evaṃvidhasyeha satastavāsau kathaṃ vṛtras tridivaṃ prāk jahāra ||

Translation

Agni said: “O Devendra, O Śakra, by your own innate power you encompass the whole earth and the heaven. If such is your might even here and now, how then did Vṛtra in former times manage to seize your heaven (the world of the gods)?”

Word by Word

• {'agnir uvāca': 'Agni said', 'divam': 'heaven

• the celestial world', 'devendra': 'lord of the gods

• Indra', 'pṛthivīm': 'the earth', 'sarvām': 'entire

• whole', 'saṃveṣṭayasi': 'you envelop

• you pervade', 'tvam': 'you', 'svabalena eva': 'by your own strength alone', 'śakra': 'Śakra

• Indra (the mighty one)', 'evaṃvidhasya': 'of one such as this

• of such a kind/power', 'iha': 'here

• in this situation', 'sataḥ': 'being

• present (genitive: of you who are so)', 'tava': 'your', 'asau': 'that (well-known) one/thing (here: that heaven/realm)', 'katham': 'how?', 'vṛtraḥ': 'Vṛtra (the asura adversary of Indra)', 'tridivam': 'the threefold heaven

• the celestial realm of the gods', 'prāk': 'formerly

• earlier', 'jahāra': 'took away

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Devendra (Indra)
• Śakra
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Diva/Tridiva (Heaven)
• Vṛtra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and status are not absolute guarantees of security; even a mighty ruler can suffer loss when circumstances, destiny, or moral-spiritual conditions shift. The verse prompts reflection on how sovereignty is maintained—not merely by strength, but by alignment with cosmic order and right conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Agni addresses Indra (Śakra/Devendra), noting that Indra’s power pervades earth and heaven, and then asks how Vṛtra was able in earlier times to seize the gods’ heaven. The question sets up an explanation of the prior crisis and its causes.