Mahabharata 9.42.403 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 42, Shloka 403

Sarasvatī-Śāpavimokṣa, Rākṣasa-Mokṣa, and Aruṇā-Tīrtha

Indra–Namuci Expiation

Devanagari script

सरस्वती तथा दृष्टवा बभूवुर्भशदु:खिता: । तदनन्तर ऋषि, देवता, गन्धर्व और अप्सरा सरस्वतीको उस अवस्थामें देखकर अत्यन्त दुःखी हो गये

Transliteration

sarasvatī tathā dṛṣṭvā babhūvur bhṛśa-duḥkhitāḥ | tad-anantaraṃ ṛṣayaḥ devatā gandharvā apsarasaś ca sarasvatīm tasmin avasthāyāṃ dṛṣṭvā atyantaṃ duḥkhitā abhavan |

Translation

Melihat Sarasvatī dalam keadaan demikian, mereka diliputi duka yang amat dalam. Setelah itu para resi, para dewa, para Gandharva, dan para Apsarā—menyaksikan Sarasvatī seperti itu—tenggelam dalam kesedihan yang besar.

Word by Word

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī (river/goddess) (as object)
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा, Active, Absolutive (having seen)

• बभूवुः: they became / were
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• भृश-दुःखिताः: extremely sorrowful
• भृश-दुःखिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Ṛṣis
• Devatās
• Gandharvas
• Apsarases

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds dharmic compassion: when a sacred and beneficent power like Sarasvatī is seen in distress, even divine and celestial beings respond with empathy, implying that sensitivity to suffering is a mark of righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha describes a scene where Sarasvatī is observed in a pitiable condition; immediately afterward, sages, gods, Gandharvas, and Apsarases see her and become intensely sorrowful.