Shloka 1.39.11

सगरयज्ञाश्वहरणम् — The Stolen Sacrificial Horse of Sagara

Devanagari script

उपाध्यायवच श्श्रुत्वा तस्मिन् सदसि पार्थिव:।षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह।।1.39.11।।

Transliteration

śrotum icchāmi bhadraṁ te vistareṇa kathām imām |

pūrvako me kathaṁ brahman yajñaṁ vai samupāharat ||1.39.2||

Translation

Blessings upon you, O Brahmin. I wish to hear this account in full detail—how did my forefather, O venerable one, arrange and set in motion the sacrifice (yajña)?

Context

Having heard the words of the officiating priests, the king (Sagara) addressed his sixty thousand sons in the sacrificial assembly, saying:

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Viśvāmitra
• yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma here is the disciplined pursuit of knowledge through respectful inquiry—Rāma seeks truth (satya) by asking his teacher-figure to narrate the tradition accurately and in detail.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma requests Viśvāmitra to explain, in detail, the ancestral episode concerning the preparation of a major sacrifice (contextually, Sagara’s rite).

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s humility and truth-seeking curiosity—he approaches the sage with courtesy and a genuine desire to understand the past.