Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति नैवात्र भयं व्यालादू भविष्यति | अपि चाल्पेन कालेन फल प्राप्स्पति पुष्कललम्‌,“आजसे जो मनुष्य महानदी सरस्वतीके इस तीर्थमें स्नान करेगा, उसे अश्वमेध-यज्ञका सम्पूर्ण फल प्राप्त होगा। आजसे इस तीर्थमें किसीको सर्पसे भय नहीं होगा। थोड़े समयतक ही इस तीर्थके सेवनसे मनुष्यको बहुत अधिक फल प्राप्त होगा”

Transliteration

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |

adya-prabhṛti naivātra bhayaṃ vyālād bhaviṣyati |

api cālpena kālena phalaṃ prāpsyati puṣkalam ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “From today onward, there will be no fear here from serpents. And even within a short time, one who resorts to this sacred place will obtain abundant merit.”

Word by Word

• {'adya-prabhṛti': 'from today onward

• henceforth', 'na eva': 'certainly not

• not at all', 'atra': 'here

• in this place (tīrtha)', 'bhayam': 'fear

• danger', 'vyālāt': 'from a serpent/creature (vyāla)

• ablative ‘from’', 'bhaviṣyati': 'will be

• will occur', 'api ca': 'and also

• moreover', 'alpena kālena': 'in a short time

• with little time', 'phalam': 'fruit

• religious merit', 'prāpsyati': 'will obtain

• will attain', 'puṣkalam': 'abundant

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Sarasvatī (river)
• tīrtha (sacred ford/place of pilgrimage)
• vyāla (serpent)
• Aśvamedha-yajña (horse sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s tīrtha-ethic: sincere resort to a sacred place (especially bathing in a revered river-ford) can quickly yield great spiritual fruit, and such sanctified spaces are portrayed as zones of protection where ordinary dangers—here, fear of serpents—are removed by dharmic power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing the greatness of a Sarasvatī tīrtha. He proclaims a boon-like assurance: from that day onward the place will be free from serpent-danger, and that even brief observance there brings abundant merit—elsewhere in the passage framed as the complete fruit of an Aśvamedha for one who bathes there.