Shloka 1.40.22

सगरपुत्राणां रसातलगमनम् — The Descent of Sagara’s Sons and the Wrath of Kapila

Devanagari script

समालभ्य तत स्सर्वे कृत्वा चैनं प्रदक्षिणम्।।।।षष्टि: पुत्रसहस्राणि बिभिदुर्वसुधातलम्।

Transliteration

samālabhya tataḥ sarve kṛtvā cainaṃ pradakṣiṇam |

ṣaṣṭiḥ putra-sahasrāṇi bibhidur vasudhātalam ||

Translation

Then all of them—the sixty thousand sons—having touched him and circumambulated him to the right, broke through the earth’s surface and pressed onward.

Context

Then all sixty thousand sons having touched the elephant and circumambulated it, penetrated the earth.

Characters & Entities

• sixty thousand sons of Sagara
• directional elephant (Bhadra, by immediate context)
• earth (vasudhā)

FAQs

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

Dharma is enacted through respectful engagement: touch and circumambulation signify acknowledgment of sacred guardianship before undertaking forceful action (digging).

What is the narrative situation?

After encountering the northern guardian elephant, Sagara’s sons ritually honor him and continue their penetration of the earth.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Reverence joined to resolve: they proceed firmly, but not without the courtesies that tradition associates with righteous conduct.