Shloka 63
भगीरथं च राजानं मृतं सूंजय शुश्रुम । यस्येन्द्रो वितते यज्ञे सोम॑ पीत्वा मदोत्कट:
Bhagīrathaṃ ca rājānaṃ mṛtaṃ Sūṃjaya śuśruma | yasyendro vitate yajñe somaṃ pītvā madotkaṭaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “O Sūṃjaya, we have heard that King Bhagīratha too has died—he at whose fully extended sacrifice Indra, after drinking Soma, became fiercely intoxicated.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most renowned kings and the most splendid sacrifices do not exempt one from mortality; worldly glory and ritual grandeur are ultimately transient, urging reflection on lasting dharma rather than pride in power or fame.
Vāyu addresses Sūṃjaya and cites Bhagīratha as an example: despite having performed a grand sacrifice so potent that Indra drank Soma and became intensely exhilarated, Bhagīratha has still died—supporting a broader argument about the inevitability of death and the limits of worldly achievement.