Shloka 2
भरद्वाजपुत्रवधः
The Slaying of Bharadvāja’s Son and the Sage’s Lament
त॑ सम दृष्टवा पुरा सर्वे प्रत्युत्तिष्ठन्ति पावका: । न त्वेनमुपतिष्ठन्ति हतपुत्र॑ं तदाग्नय:
taṃ samadṛṣṭvā purā sarve pratyuttiṣṭhanti pāvakāḥ | na tv enam upatiṣṭhanti hataputraṃ tadāgnayaḥ ||
Formerly, whenever they saw him, all the sacred fires would rise up in reverent welcome. But now, seeing him bereft of his son, those very fires no longer rise to honor him—signaling a rupture in auspicious order and the withdrawal of ritual support in a moment of grief and moral disturbance.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual and moral order are portrayed as interconnected: when a person is struck by grievous, dharma-disrupting loss, even symbols of sacred stability (the fires) may cease to respond, indicating a withdrawal of auspiciousness and the need for restoration through right conduct and inner steadiness.
The speaker contrasts past and present: earlier the sacred fires would rise in welcome upon seeing him, but now—because he is ‘hataputra’ (bereaved of his son)—the fires do not rise, functioning as an ominous sign and emphasizing the gravity of the bereavement.