Shloka 4
सगरोपाख्यानम् (Sagara-Upākhyāna): Śiva’s boon and the extraordinary birth of Sagara’s progeny
प्रदक्षिणश्व॒ क्रियते मामेवं कुरु भास्कर । एवमुक्तस्तत: सूर्य: शैलेन्द्रं प्रत्यभाषत,उन्हें ऐसा करते देख विन्ध्यगिरिने उनसे कहा--'भास्कर! जैसे आप मेरुकी प्रतिदिन परिक्रमा करते हैं, उसी तरह मेरी भी कीजिये।' यह सुनकर भगवान् सूर्यने गिरिराज विन्ध्यसे कहा--'गिरिश्रेष्ठ! मैं अपनी इच्छासे मेरुगिरिकी परिक्रमा नहीं करता हूँ। जिन्होंने इस संसारकी सृष्टि की है, उन विधाताने मेरे लिये यही मार्ग निश्चित किया है"
Lomaśa uvāca—pradakṣiṇaś ca kriyate mām evaṁ kuru bhāskara | evam uktaḥ tataḥ sūryaḥ śailendraṁ pratyabhāṣata |
Lomaśa said: “Seeing him act thus, the Vindhya mountain addressed the Sun: ‘O Bhāskara, just as you daily circumambulate Meru, so too circumambulate me.’ Hearing this, the Sun replied to the lord of mountains, Vindhya: ‘O best of mountains, I do not circle Meru by my own whim. The Creator who fashioned this world has fixed this very path for me.’ The episode underscores restraint and fidelity to an ordained order: even a mighty power like the Sun does not abandon the appointed course to satisfy prideful demands.
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great powers must adhere to an established cosmic and moral order; acting from ego or to gratify another’s pride is inferior to steadfastness in one’s appointed duty.
Vindhya asks the Sun to circumambulate him as the Sun does Meru. The Sun refuses, explaining that his course is not a matter of personal choice but is fixed by the Creator’s ordinance.