Shloka 12

Agastya–Lopāmudrā: Marriage, Austerity, and Conditions for Conjugal Union (लोमशकथितम्)

Devanagari script

उवास च स्वयं तत्र धर्मराज: सनातन: । सर्वासां सरितां चैव समुद्भेदो विशाम्पते

Transliteration

uvāsa ca svayaṃ tatra dharmarājaḥ sanātanaḥ | sarvāsāṃ saritāṃ caiva samudbhedo viśāmpate ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: There, the eternal Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) himself took up residence. O lord of men, that place was also known as the source from which all rivers arise—evoking a sacred landscape where righteous kingship aligns with the wellspring of purity and order.

Word by Word

उवासdwelt, stayed

चand

स्वयम्himself

तत्रthere

धर्मराजःDharma-king (Yudhiṣṭhira)

सनातनःeternal, ancient

सर्वासाम्of all

सरिताम्of rivers

चand

एवindeed, just

समुद्भेदःthe source/origin (lit. emergence) of the sea

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

saritaḥ (rivers)

samudbheda (source/origin of rivers)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links righteous leadership (Dharmarāja) with a sacred setting described as the source of rivers, suggesting that dharma is nourished by purity, restraint, and alignment with ancient, life-giving order—like rivers sustaining the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that Yudhiṣṭhira personally stayed at that location, characterized as a revered place associated with the emergence of rivers, situating the Pāṇḍavas’ movement in exile within a spiritually charged landscape.