Shloka 9

सगरोपाख्यानम् (Sagara-Upākhyāna): Śiva’s boon and the extraordinary birth of Sagara’s progeny

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचु सूर्याचन्द्रमसोर्मार्ग नक्षत्राणां गतिं तथा । शैलराजो वृणोत्येष विन्ध्य: क्रोधवशानुग:,देवता बोले--द्विजश्रेष्ठ। यह पर्वतराज विन्ध्य क्रोधके वशीभूत होकर सूर्य और चन्द्रमाके मार्ग तथा नक्षत्रोंकी गतिको रोक रहा है। महाभाग! आपके सिवा दूसरा कोई इसका निवारण नहीं कर सकता। अत: आप चलकर इसे रोकिये

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ sūryācandramasor mārgaṁ nakṣatrāṇāṁ gatiṁ tathā | śailarājo vṛṇoty eṣa vindhyaḥ krodhavaśānugaḥ ||

Translation

The gods said: “O best of the twice-born, this king of mountains—Vindhya—overpowered by anger, is obstructing the paths of the Sun and the Moon, and likewise the courses of the stars. Apart from you, no one can avert this. Therefore, please go and restrain him.”

Word by Word

• {'devāḥ': 'the gods, divine beings', 'ūcuḥ': 'said (perfect tense, 3rd person plural)', 'sūrya': 'the Sun', 'candramas': 'the Moon', 'mārga': 'path, course, route', 'nakṣatrāṇām': 'of the nakṣatras

• stars/asterisms', 'gati': 'movement, course, motion', 'tathā': 'and likewise, similarly', 'śailarājaḥ': 'king of mountains (epithet of a great mountain)', 'eṣa': 'this (one)', 'vindhyaḥ': 'Vindhya (mountain range/personified mountain)', 'krodha': 'anger', 'vaśa': 'control, domination', 'anugaḥ': 'following, subject to

• here: acting under (the sway of)'}

Speaker

लोमश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Vindhya
• Surya
• Chandramas
• Nakshatras
• Dvija-shreshtha (addressed Brahmin sage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Uncontrolled anger can disrupt even the wider order of the world; restoring dharma often requires the intervention of one who has self-mastery and spiritual authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

The gods report that the Vindhya mountain, driven by anger, is blocking the celestial courses of the Sun, Moon, and stars, and they appeal to a revered Brahmin sage to go and stop him.