Shloka 18

Raibhya-putrayoḥ satra-vṛttāntaḥ — The Satra Episode of Raibhya’s Sons

Parāvasu and Arvāvasu

Devanagari script

उग्र॑ं तप: समास्थाय दिवाकरमथाश्रित: । रहस्यवेदं कृतवान्‌ सूर्यस्य द्विजसत्तम:

Transliteration

ugraṁ tapaḥ samāsthāya divākaram athāśritaḥ | rahasyavedaṁ kṛtavān sūryasya dvijasattamaḥ ||

Translation

Undertaking fierce austerities and taking refuge in the Sun (Divākara), that best of the twice-born sages obtained the Sun’s secret knowledge—an esoteric Vedic teaching—through disciplined tapas and devotion.

Word by Word

• उग्रम्: fierce, intense
• उग्रम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• समास्थाय: having undertaken / having resorted to
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-स्था
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• दिवाकरम्: the Sun (day-maker)
• दिवाकरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then, and then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• आश्रितः: having taken refuge in / having resorted to
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रहस्यवेदम्: the secret Veda/knowledge (a secret lore)
• रहस्यवेदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रहस्यवेद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृतवान्: did, performed, composed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect participle (क्तवत्), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सूर्यस्य: of the Sun
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• द्विजसत्तमः: the best of the twice-born (excellent Brahmin)
• द्विजसत्तमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Divākara (Sūrya)
• dvijasattamaḥ (an unnamed foremost Brahmin/sage)
• rahasyaveda (secret Vedic knowledge)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Intense self-discipline (tapas) combined with taking refuge in a worthy divine source (here, Sūrya) is presented as a means to gain higher, guarded knowledge; spiritual attainments are shown as fruits of sustained austerity and proper orientation of devotion.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker states that a foremost Brahmin-sage performed severe austerities, sought the Sun as his refuge, and thereby acquired the Sun’s ‘rahasya-veda’—a secret or esoteric Vedic teaching—indicating a transmission of special knowledge earned through tapas.