Shloka 46
Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)
पौराणां हितकामेन सगरेण विवासित: । अंशुमांस्तु महेष्वासो यदुक्त: सगरेण हि | तत् ते सर्व प्रवक्ष्यामि कीर्त्यमानं निबोध मे,“यदि तुम्हें मेरा प्रिय कार्य करना है तो मेरी इस आज्ञाका शीघ्र पालन होना चाहिये।” राजन्! महाराज सगरके ऐसा कहनेपर मन्त्रियोंने शीघ्र वैसा ही किया, जैसा उनका आदेश था। युधिष्छिर! पुरवासियोंके हित चाहनेवाले महात्मा सगरने जिस प्रकार अपने पुत्रको निर्वासित किया था, वह सब प्रसंग मैंने तुमसे कह सुनाया। अब महाधनुर्धर अंशुमानसे राजा सगरने जो कुछ कहा, वह सब तुम्हें बता रहा हूँ, मेरे मुखसे सुनो
paurāṇāṁ hitakāmena sagareṇa vivāsitaḥ | aṁśumāṁs tu maheṣvāso yaduktaḥ sagareṇa hi | tat te sarvaṁ pravakṣyāmi kīrtyamānaṁ nibodha me |
Lomasha said: “For the welfare of the citizens, King Sagara—intent on their good—banished his son. Now I shall tell you in full what Sagara said to Aṁśumān, that great archer. Listen attentively as I recount it.”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds rājadharma: a king may take painful, even personal, decisions—such as banishing a son—when motivated by the welfare of the people (paurāṇāṁ hita). It also emphasizes attentive listening to transmitted tradition as a means of learning dharma.
Lomaśa transitions the story: having mentioned how Sagara exiled his son for the citizens’ good, he now prepares to narrate what Sagara instructed Aṁśumān, the renowned archer, asking the listener to pay close attention.