Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 166

बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya

Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī

Devanagari script

विज्ञातश्ष कथं देवैस्तन्ममाचक्ष्व तत्त्वतः । जनमेजयने पूछा--ब्रह्म! लोकभावन भगवान्‌ अग्नि क्‍यों अदृश्य हो गये थे और देवताओंने कैसे उनका पता लगाया? यह यथार्थरूपसे बताइये

Transliteration

vijñātaś ca kathaṃ devais tan mamācakṣva tattvataḥ | janamejaya uvāca—brahman! lokabhāvana bhagavān agniḥ kyoṃ adṛśya ho gaye the, aur devatāoṃ ne kaise unakā patā lagāyā? yah yathārtharūp se batāiye |

Translation

Janamejaya said: “O Brahman, tell me the truth in full: why did the world-sustaining Lord Agni become invisible, and how did the gods discover his whereabouts?”

Word by Word

• vijñātaḥ: known, ascertained
• vijñātaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vijñāta (√jñā)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• saḥ: he/that (one)
• saḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• katham: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• devaiḥ: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• tat: that (matter)
• tat: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• mama: to me / of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: asmad
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• ācakṣva: tell, explain
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cakṣ (ācakṣ)
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• tattvataḥ: in truth, accurately
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattvatas

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Agni
• Devas (the gods)
• Brahman (addressed sage/narrator)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks a truthful, complete account from a qualified Brahman, emphasizing that understanding divine actions requires careful questioning and accurate narration (tattvataḥ).

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya interrupts the ongoing account to ask why Agni disappeared from sight and by what means the gods located him, requesting a precise explanation from the Brahman narrator.