Shloka 5
Ṛśyaśṛṅgopākhyāna-praveśaḥ — Lomāśa narrates the origins of Ṛśyaśṛṅga and the Anga drought (ऋश्यशृङ्गोपाख्यान-प्रवेशः)
सायं प्रातश्च भगवान् दृश्यते हव्यवाहन: । मक्षिकाश्नादशंस्तत्र तपस: प्रतिघातिका:
sāyaṁ prātaś ca bhagavān dṛśyate havyavāhanaḥ | makṣikāśnād aśaṁs tatra tapasaḥ pratighātikāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “At evening and again at dawn, the revered Fire—Havyavāhana, the carrier of offerings—was seen there. Yet in that place he also spoke of fly-like, devouring impediments that strike against ascetic practice, warning that such distractions and afflictions can obstruct the fruit of tapas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even sincere austerity (tapas) can be undermined by small but persistent distractions and afflictions; vigilance and steadiness are required so that practice is not ‘struck down’ by impediments.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Agni (Havyavāhana) is seen at dawn and dusk, and that he issues a warning about obstructive forces—likened to devouring flies—that hinder ascetic effort in that locale.