Shloka 20

Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

उवाच वचन सर्वास्तदा दैववशान्नूप । अनागमाय गच्छथ्वं भूयो मार्गत वाजिनम्‌,तब वे पिताके पास आकर उनके आगे हाथ जोड़कर बोले--'“महाराज! हमने आपकी आज्ञासे समुद्र, वन, द्वीप, नदी, नद, कन्दरा, पर्वत और वन्य प्रदेशोंसहित सारी पृथ्वी खोज डाली, परंतु हमें न तो अश्व मिला न उसका चुरानेवाला ही।” युधिष्ठिर![ उनकी यह बात सुनकर राजा सगर क्रोधसे मूर्च्छित हो उठे और उस समय दैववश उन सबसे इस प्रकार बोले--“'जाओ, लौटकर न आना। पुनः घोड़ेका पता लगाओ। पुत्रो! उस यज्ञके अश्वको लिये बिना वापस न आना।” पिताका वह संदेश शिरोधार्य करके सगरपुत्रोंने फिर सारी पृथ्वीपर अश्वको ढूँढ़ना आरम्भ किया। तदनन्तर उन वीरोंने एक स्थानपर पृथ्वीमें दरार पड़ी हुई देखी

Transliteration

lokāśa uvāca | uvāca vacanaṁ sarvās tadā daivavaśān nṛpa | anāgamāya gacchadhvaṁ bhūyo mārgata vājinaṁ ||

Translation

Lokāśa said: Then, O king, being driven by the force of fate, he addressed them all: “Go—do not return. Search again for the sacrificial horse. Sons, do not come back without bringing that yajña-horse.” The command underscores the king’s uncompromising insistence on completing the rite and recovering what has been lost, even at the cost of harshness toward his own sons.

Word by Word

उवाचsaid/spoke

वचनम्a word/speech

सर्वान्all (of them)

तदाthen

दैववशात्due to fate/under destiny's compulsion

नृपO king

अनागमायfor non-return / so as not to return

गच्छथgo (you all)!

भूयःagain/further

मार्गतseek/search (you all)!

वाजिनम्the horse

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

Lokāśa (speaker)

the king (nṛpa; contextually Sagara in this episode)

the sons (putrāḥ; Sagara’s sons in context)

the sacrificial horse (yajña-aśva / vājin)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between human resolve and daiva (fate): a ruler, compelled by circumstance, issues a severe command to uphold the integrity of a yajña. It raises an ethical question about how far duty and ritual obligation may justify harshness toward dependents.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports that the king orders his sons to go back and search again for the missing sacrificial horse, forbidding them to return until they find it—driving the continuation of the quest that follows in the episode.