महतकश्नू्णितान् पश्य ये हासन्त महोदधिम् | सुवर्णधारिणा नित्यमवशप्ता द्विजातिना
mahataḥ kṣṇūṇitān paśya ye hāsanta mahodadhim | suvarṇadhāriṇā nityam avaśaptā dvijātinā ||
Arjuna dijo: «Mira a estos poderosos, reducidos a cenizas—ellos que antaño se burlaban del gran océano. Han sido maldecidos sin remedio por el sabio dos veces nacido, Kapila, el de perpetuo fulgor dorado. Estos son los hijos de Sagara, que llegaron hasta el mar buscando el caballo del sacrificio, yacen ahora como montones de ceniza».
अजुन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical consequence of arrogance and irreverence: even powerful beings who mock or act rashly can be destroyed by the force of dharma embodied in a disciplined sage. It underscores humility before spiritual authority and the moral weight of one’s conduct during sacred pursuits.
Arjuna points out the remains of Sagara’s sons, who had come to the ocean while searching for the sacrificial horse connected with a yajña. They were burned to ashes due to the curse of the Brahmin sage Kapila, and now lie as heaps of ash near the sea.