Shloka 48

Devanagari script

तस्यां चोद्धार्यमाणायां संक्षो भ: समजायत । देवा: संक्षुभिता: सर्वे ऋषयश्न तपोधना:

Transliteration

tasyāṃ coddhāryamāṇāyāṃ saṃkṣobhaḥ samajāyata | devāḥ saṃkṣubhitāḥ sarve ṛṣayaś ca tapodhanāḥ ||

Translation

As she was being lifted up (rescued), a great upheaval arose. All the gods were thrown into agitation, and so too were the ascetic sages, rich in the treasure of austerity. The scene underscores how a single decisive act in the moral order can reverberate through the cosmos, stirring even the highest beings.

Word by Word

तस्याम्in her/therein

चand

उद्धार्यमाणायाम्while (she/it) was being lifted out/rescued

संक्षोभःagitation, upheaval

समजायतarose, came to be

देवाःthe gods

संक्षुभिताःagitated, disturbed

सर्वेall

ऋषयःthe sages

चand

तपोधनाःthose whose wealth is austerity (ascetics)

Speaker

लोमश उवाच

Characters & Entities

ल

लोमश (Lomaśa)

द

देवाः (the gods)

ऋ

ऋषयः (the sages, tapodhanas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s vision of an interconnected moral cosmos: when a pivotal rescue or reversal occurs, it can unsettle even gods and great ascetics. Dharma is not merely social conduct; it has cosmic resonance, and extraordinary events provoke universal reaction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lomaśa describes a moment when ‘she’ is being lifted up or delivered, and this act triggers a powerful commotion (saṃkṣobha). The disturbance is so intense that all the gods and the tapas-rich sages become shaken, indicating the magnitude of the event being narrated.