Shloka 1.40.5
सगरपुत्राणां रसातलगमनम् — The Descent of Sagara’s Sons and the Wrath of Kapila
सगरस्य च पुत्राणां प्रादुरासीन्महात्मनाम्।।।।पृथिव्यां भिद्यमानायां निर्घातसमनिस्वन:।
sagarasya ca putrāṇāṁ prādurāsīn mahātmanām | pṛthivyāṁ bhidyamānāṁ nirghātasamanisvanaḥ ||
As Sagara’s noble sons split open the earth, there arose a sound like the crash of thunder.
A sound like the resembling of thunder emanated while the earth was being riven by the noble sons of Sagara.
Power must be governed by restraint: the frightening, thunder-like upheaval signals that forceful action against nature and beings can carry grave consequences, reminding rulers and warriors to act within dharma rather than impulse.
Sagara’s sons are violently digging and splitting the earth to recover the stolen sacrificial horse, and the narration highlights the cosmic disturbance their act produces.
Zeal and determination are shown, but the verse implicitly contrasts them with the needed virtue of self-control (dama), foreshadowing the danger of unchecked wrath.