Shloka 173
बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya
Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī
शमीगर्भमथासाद्य ननाश भगवांस्तत: । वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--राजन्! एक समयकी बात है कि प्रतापी भगवान् अग्निदेव महर्षि भूगुके शापसे अत्यन्त भयभीत हो शमीके भीतर जाकर अदृश्य हो गये
śamī-garbham athāsādya nanāśa bhagavāṁs tataḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, once the glorious Lord Agni, terrified by the curse of the sage Bhṛgu, reached the interior of a śamī tree and vanished from sight.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even powerful beings are bound by moral causality: a sage’s curse carries ethical weight, and fear or withdrawal can follow wrongdoing or conflict. The episode underscores accountability and the potency of tapas (ascetic authority).
Agni, frightened by Bhṛgu’s curse, seeks refuge by entering the śamī tree and becomes invisible; Vaiśampāyana recounts this incident to the king as part of the larger Shalya Parva narration.