Shloka 9
धृष्टद्युम्नेन समागतक्षत्रियगणगणना
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Enumeration of Assembled Kṣatriyas
सा तमग्निसमं विप्रमनुचिन्त्य सरिद्वरा । शतधा विद्रुता यस्माच्छतद्रुरिति विश्रुता,वह श्रेष्ठ नदी ब्रह्मर्षि वसिष्ठको अग्निके समान तेजस्वी जान सैकड़ों धाराओंमें फ़ूटकर इधर-उधर भाग चली। इसीलिये वह “शतद्र' नामसे विख्यात हुई
sā tam agnisamaṁ vipram anucintya saridvarā | śatadhā vidrutā yasmāc chatadrur iti viśrutā ||
That foremost of rivers, reflecting upon the brahmin who blazed like fire, burst forth and fled in a hundred streams in every direction. Because she thus ran in a hundredfold course, she became renowned by the name Śatadrū. The episode underscores the awe inspired by ascetic radiance and the power of tapas, before which even nature responds with reverence and fear.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-spiritual idea that tapas and brahminical radiance (tejas) command profound respect: even the natural world is portrayed as reacting to the presence of intense ascetic power, encouraging humility and restraint before sanctity.
A river, described as the foremost among rivers, sees/considers a brahmin whose brilliance is like fire and then breaks into a hundred channels and rushes away; from this hundredfold flow she becomes famous by the name Śatadrū.