Shloka 18
सगरोपाख्यानम् (Sagara-Upākhyāna): Śiva’s boon and the extraordinary birth of Sagara’s progeny
एवं त्वयेच्छाम कृतं हि कार्य महार्णवं पीयमानं महात्मन् | ततो वधिष्याम सहानुबन्धान् कालेयसंज्ञान् सुरविद्धिषस्तान्,“महात्मन्! हम आपके द्वारा यह कार्य सम्पन्न कराना चाहते हैं कि आप सारे महासागरके जलको पी जायँ। तदनन्तर हमलोग देवद्रोही कालेय नामक दानवोंका उनके बन्धु-बान्धवोंसहित वध कर डालेंगे”
evaṁ tvayecchāma kṛtaṁ hi kārya mahārṇavaṁ pīyamānaṁ mahātman | tato vadhiṣyāma sahānubandhān kāleyasaṁjñān suravidviṣas tān ||
They said: “O great-souled one, we desire that this task be accomplished through you: that the vast ocean be drunk dry. Then, at the proper time, we shall slay those demons known as the Kāleyas—enemies of the gods—together with all their allies and dependents.”
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a morally charged strategy: an extraordinary act is requested to remove a hidden threat, after which the enemies of the gods are to be eliminated. It highlights the idea that restoring dharma may require exceptional means, but the stated aim remains the protection of cosmic order and the removal of persistent harm.
Lomaśa explains a plan: the addressed great being is asked to drink up the ocean’s waters so the Kāleya demons—described as foes of the gods—can be exposed and then slain along with their allied followers.