Shloka 58

Origins of the Maruts — Origins of the Maruts Across the Manvantaras (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)

Devanagari script

अस्थीनि रोमकेशांश्च स्नायुमज्जायकृद्ःअनम् शुक्रं च चित्रगौ राजा सुतार्थो इति नः श्रुतम्

Transliteration

asthīni romakeśāṃśca snāyumajjāyakṛdḥanam śukraṃ ca citragau rājā sutārtho iti naḥ śrutam

Translation

We have heard that King Sutārtha—also known as Citragau—(offered/consigned) bones, body-hair and head-hair, sinews, marrow, and even the substance of the liver, and also semen (as an oblation).

Speakers

• Narrator to a sage (mune) within the Saromāhātmya frame (exact interlocutors not specified in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Agni (Hutavaha)

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Extreme dāna/tyāga (self-offering)
• Sacrificial ideology (Agni as receiver)
• Legendary exemplum of merit

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why are bodily substances (bones, hair, marrow, etc.) listed as ‘dāna’ here?

In some Purāṇic tirtha-legends, the extremity of a donor’s resolve is dramatized by ‘self-offering’—treating one’s own body as the final ‘wealth’ (dhanam) to be surrendered. The list functions as a rhetorical catalogue of total renunciation rather than a routine ritual prescription.

Does ‘śukra’ here necessarily imply a literal offering?

The wording allows a literal reading within the legend’s hyperbolic register, but Purāṇic narration often uses such terms to signal the surrender of ‘vital essence’ (ojas/retas) as the climax of self-sacrifice. Interpreters commonly read it as emphasizing complete depletion of personal vitality for religious merit.

Who is Citragau, and why is the king given two names?

Purāṇic local traditions frequently preserve variant names/epithets for the same figure. ‘Citragau’ may be an epithet (e.g., ‘of variegated cattle’/‘possessor of wondrous cows’) or a regional naming, while ‘Sutārtha’ is the primary royal name in this narration.