Shloka 17
सगरोपाख्यानम् — कपिलकोपः, अंशुमतः विनयः, तथा भगीरथपरम्परा
Sagara Upākhyāna: Kapila’s Wrath, Aṃśumān’s Reverence, and the Bhāgīratha Line
एवमुक्त्वा तु त॑ रुद्रस्तत्रैवान्तरथधीयत । स चापि सगरो राजा जगाम स्वं निवेशनम्,ऐसा कहकर भगवान् शंकर वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये। राजा सगर भी अत्यन्त प्रसन्नचित्त हो पत्नियोंसहित अपने निवासस्थानको चले गये। नरश्रेष्ठ! तदनन्तर उनकी वे दोनों कमलनयनी पत्नियाँ वैदर्भी और शैब्या गर्भवती हुईं। फिर समय आनेपर वैदर्भीने अपने गर्भसे एक तूँबी उत्पन्न की और शैब्याने देवताके समान सुन्दर रूपवाले एक पुत्रको जन्म दिया। राजा सगरने उस तूंबीको फेंक देनेका विचार किया
evam uktvā tu sa rudras tatraivāntaradhīyata | sa cāpi sagaro rājā jagāma svaṁ niveśanam ||
Having spoken thus, Rudra (Śiva) vanished from that very place. King Sagara too, his heart filled with joy, returned to his own residence with his wives. Thereafter, his two lotus-eyed queens—Vaidhabhī and Śaibyā—conceived. When the time came, Vaidhabhī brought forth from her womb a gourd-like mass, while Śaibyā gave birth to a son of godlike beauty. Seeing the gourd-like birth, King Sagara considered casting it away.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights restraint in judgment: extraordinary or unsettling events (like an unusual birth) may still be connected to divine purpose. Ethical discernment requires patience and respect for the unseen workings of fate and boons.
After speaking, Rudra vanishes. Sagara returns home. His two queens conceive; later one produces a gourd-like mass and the other bears a handsome son. Sagara then thinks of discarding the gourd-like birth.