Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततस्तीक्ष्णार्चिरभ्यागात्‌ त्वरितो हव्यवाहन: । यत्र शार्ज़ा बभूवुस्ते मन्दपालस्य पुत्रका:,तदनन्तर तीखी लपटोंवाले अग्निदेव तुरंत वहाँ आ पहुँचे, जहाँ मन्दपालके पुत्र शार्डद्गक पक्षी मौजूद थे

Transliteration

tatas tīkṣṇārcir abhyāgāt tvarito havyavāhanaḥ | yatra śārṅgā babhūvus te mandapālasya putrakāḥ ||

Translation

Alors Agni, le dieu du feu —prompt et flamboyant de langues de feu acérées— se hâta vers l’endroit même où se trouvaient les oisillons de l’oiseau Śārṅga, fils de Mandapāla.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तीक्ष्ण-अर्चिःhaving sharp flames

अभ्यागात्came near, arrived

त्वरितःhastened, quickly

हव्यवाहनःAgni, the carrier of oblations

यत्रwhere

शार्ङ्गाःŚārṅga-birds (a kind of bird)

बभूवुःwere, existed

तेthose, they

मन्दपालस्यof Mandapāla

पुत्रकाःsons (dear sons/young sons)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Agni (Havyavāhana)

Mandapāla

Śārṅga bird-chicks (Mandapāla’s sons)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how swiftly destructive power can reach the helpless, implying an ethical duty to anticipate harm and protect those who cannot protect themselves—especially dependents such as children.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Agni, blazing and hurried, arrives at the location where Mandapāla’s young Śārṅga bird-sons are present, setting the stage for the imminent danger to them.