Shloka 138

Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्

Devanagari script

तस्मादस्म्यागतो विप्रा वासवं मां निबोधत । अलोभादक्षया लोकाः: प्राप्ता वै सार्वकामिका:

Transliteration

tasmād asmy āgato viprā vāsavaṃ māṃ nibodhata | alobhād akṣayā lokāḥ prāptā vai sārvakāmikāḥ ||

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ (നിങ്ങളുടെ അടുക്കൽ) വന്നിരിക്കുന്നു; എന്നെ വാസവൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) എന്നു അറിയുക. ലോഭത്യാഗം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ സർവകാമഫലദായകമായ അക്ഷയ ലോകങ്ങൾ പ്രാപിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

अस्मिI am

आगतःcome/arrived

विप्राःO brahmins

वासवम्Vāsava (Indra)

माम्me

निबोधतknow/recognize (you all)

अलोभात्from non-greed/because of non-covetousness

अक्षयाःimperishable

लोकाःworlds/realms

प्राप्ताःattained

वैindeed

सर्वकामिकाःfulfilling all desires/bringing all desired (fruits)

Speaker

शुन:सख उवाच

Characters & Entities

श

शुन:सख (Śunaḥsakha)

व

वāsava (Indra)

व

विप्र (brāhmaṇas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that alobha—freedom from greed and grasping—is a decisive ethical virtue that leads to enduring (akṣaya) spiritual reward, described as imperishable realms that can fulfill all legitimate aspirations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śunaḥsakha addresses a group of brāhmaṇas and reveals his identity as Vāsava (Indra). He explains that his appearance and message are tied to praising non-greed, asserting that such restraint is the cause by which one attains imperishable heavenly worlds.