Shloka 48
Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)
तस्माद् दुःखाभिसंतप्तं यज्ञविघ्नाच्च मोहितम् | हयस्यानयनात् पौत्र नरकान्मां समुद्धर,अतः पौत्र! यज्ञमें विघ्न पड़ जानेसे मैं मोहित और दु:खसे संतप्त हूँ। तुम अश्वको ले आकर नरकसे मेरा उद्धार करो
tasmād duḥkhābhisantaṁptaṁ yajñavighnāc ca mohitam | hayasyānayanāt pautra narakān māṁ samuddhara ataḥ pautra |
Therefore, my grandson, I am bewildered and scorched by grief because my sacrifice has been obstructed. So, bring back the sacrificial horse; by retrieving it, deliver me from hell—restore the rite and rescue my honor and spiritual fate.
सगर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as responsibility across generations: when a sacred duty (yajña) is obstructed, the family—especially descendants—must act to restore the rite and protect the ancestor’s spiritual welfare and honor.
Sagara addresses his grandson, saying he is distressed and bewildered because his sacrifice has been disrupted. He urges the grandson to retrieve the sacrificial horse, so that the rite may be restored and Sagara may be delivered from a state described as naraka.