Shloka 18

Devanagari script

प्रणष्टे तु तदा वह्लौ देवा: सर्वे सवासवा:

Transliteration

praṇaṣṭe tu tadā vahlau devāḥ sarve savāsavāḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: When the sacred fire had then disappeared, all the gods—together with Vāsava (Indra)—were thrown into alarm, sensing a rupture in the proper order upheld by ritual and divine presence.

Word by Word

• प्रणष्टे: had perished/was destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश्
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• वह्लौ: in the fire (Agni)
• वह्लौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्लि
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सवासवाः: together with Indra (Vāsava)
• सवासवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-वासव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Agni (sacred fire)
• Devāḥ (the gods)
• Vāsava (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that the disappearance of the sacred fire signifies a breakdown in ritual and cosmic order; even the gods respond with concern, implying that dharma is sustained through proper rites and their continuity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a crucial fire (Agni) is said to have vanished; this portent immediately affects the divine realm, and all the gods, including Indra, react with alarm at the ominous disruption.