Shloka 12
Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)
तस्याश्वो व्यचरद् भूमिं पुत्र: स परिरक्षित: । (सर्वरेव महोत्साहै: स्वच्छन्दप्रचरो नृप ।) समुद्रं स समासाद्य निस्तोयं भीमदर्शनम्,(ससमुद्रवनद्वीपां विचरन्तो वसुन्धराम् ।) राजन्! उनका यज्ञिय अश्व उनके अत्यन्त उत्साही सभी पुत्रोंद्वारा सुरक्षित हो स्वच्छन्दगतिसे पृथ्वीपर विचरने लगा। जब वह अश्व भयंकर दिखायी देनेवाले जलशून्य समुद्रके तटपर आया, तब प्रयत्नपूर्वक रक्षित होनेपर भी वहाँ सहसा अदृश्य हो गया। तात! तब उस उत्तम अश्वको अपहृत जानकर सगरपुत्रोंने पिताके पास आकर कहा--/हमारे यज्ञिय अश्वको किसीने चुरा लिया, अब वह दिखायी नहीं देता।/ यह सुनकर राजा सगरने कहा--“तुम सब लोग समुद्र, वन और द्वीपोंसहित सारी पृथ्वीपर विचरते हुए सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें जाकर उस अश्वका पता लगाओ”
tasyāśvo vyacarad bhūmiṁ putraḥ sa parirakṣitaḥ | (sarva eva mahotsāhaiḥ svacchanda-pracaro nṛpa |) samudraṁ sa samāsādya nistoyaṁ bhīma-darśanam | (sa-samudra-vana-dvīpāṁ vicaranto vasundharām |)
Lośa said: His sacrificial horse ranged freely over the earth, guarded by his sons—men of great energy—yet moving at its own will, O king. When that horse reached the shore of the sea, a fearsome expanse appearing as though devoid of water, it suddenly vanished there, despite vigilant protection. Taking it to have been stolen, the sons of Sagara returned to their father and reported, “Our consecrated horse has been taken; it is no longer seen.” Hearing this, King Sagara commanded them to search for it in every direction, roaming the whole earth together with its seas, forests, and islands—an insistence that duty to a vowed rite must be pursued with unwavering resolve, yet also a warning that zeal without discernment can drive one into ever-widening conflict.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights steadfastness to a vowed rite and royal responsibility: when a sacred duty is obstructed, one must act decisively. At the same time, it foreshadows how intense zeal (mahotsāha) can propel actions that expand into wider consequences, urging discernment alongside determination.
Sagara’s consecrated Aśvamedha horse, though guarded by his energetic sons, roams freely and then vanishes upon reaching the ocean’s shore. The sons report the apparent theft to Sagara, who orders them to search the entire world—across seas, forests, and islands—to recover it.