Shloka 17
विन्ध्यवृद्धिनिवारणम् — The Restraint of the Vindhya
Agastya’s Injunction
जगत्युपशमं याते नष्टयज्ञोत्सवक्रिये | आज म्मु: परमामार्ति त्रिदशा मनुजेश्वर,मनुजेश्वर! यज्ञोत्सव आदि कार्योके नष्ट हो जानेपर जब जगत्का विनाश होने लगा, तब देवताओंको बड़ी पीड़ा हुई
jagaty upaśamaṃ yāte naṣṭa-yajñotsava-kriye | ājagmuḥ paramām ārtiṃ tridaśā manu-jeśvara ||
When the world was sinking into quiescence and decline, and the rites of sacrifice and festive religious observances had disappeared, the gods were seized by extreme anguish, O lord of men.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the maintenance of dharma to the continuity of yajña and prescribed rites: when sacrificial and communal religious practices vanish, the sustaining order of the world weakens, producing suffering that affects both humans and gods. It underscores the king’s responsibility to protect institutions that uphold social and cosmic stability.
The speaker describes a time when yajña and festival-rites have been destroyed or neglected, and as the world moves toward collapse, the gods become deeply distressed and address the human sovereign (manujeśvara), implying that restoration of dharmic practice and royal protection is urgently needed.