Shloka 10

Origins of the Maruts — Origins of the Maruts Across the Manvantaras (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)

Devanagari script

सो ऽथाब्रवीन्मा रुदस्वायताक्षि पुत्रास्त्वत्तो भूमिपालस्य सप्त भविष्यन्ति वह्निमारोह शीघ्रं सत्यं प्रोक्तं श्रद्दधत्स्व त्वमद्य // वम्प्_46.9 इत्येवमुक्ता खचरेण बाला चितौ समारोप्य पितं वरार्हम् हुताशमासाद्य पतिव्रता तं संचिन्तयन्ती ज्वलनं प्रवनन्ना

Transliteration

so 'thābravīnmā rudasvāyatākṣi putrāstvatto bhūmipālasya sapta bhaviṣyanti vahnimāroha śīghraṃ satyaṃ proktaṃ śraddadhatsva tvamadya // VamP_46.9 ityevamuktā khacareṇa bālā citau samāropya pitaṃ varārham hutāśamāsādya pativratā taṃ saṃcintayantī jvalanaṃ pravanannā

Translation

मग तो म्हणाला— “हे विशालनेत्रे, रडू नकोस. तुझ्यापासून या भूमिपालाला सात पुत्र होतील. शीघ्र अग्नीत आरोहण कर; जे बोलले आहे ते सत्य आहे—आजच श्रद्धा ठेव.” खचराने असे सांगितल्यावर ती बाला, पतिव्रता होऊन, आपल्या श्रेष्ठ पतीला चितेवर ठेवून, अग्नीजवळ जाऊन त्याचे चिंतन करीत ज्वलंत अग्नीत प्रविष्ट झाली।

Speakers

• Khacara (aerial messenger/oracle) to Sudevā; then narrator describes Sudevā’s action.

Key Themes

• Pativratā-dharma and self-sacrifice
• Truth of prophecy (satya-vākya)
• Miraculous restoration/revival motif
• Dynastic fecundity (seven sons)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Is Sudevā’s ‘entering the fire’ to be read as satī in the later historical sense?

The verse depicts a wife entering the cremation fire, which resembles the satī motif, but Purāṇic narratives often use it as a miracle-trigger tied to pativratā power and divine intervention. The immediate narrative goal here is not social prescription but the restoration of the king and the securing of progeny through a divinely guaranteed outcome.

Why is the number ‘seven sons’ significant?

Seven frequently signals completeness and auspicious totality in Purāṇic symbolism (sapta). In dynastic narratives it also functions as a narrative guarantee of continuity and prosperity, countering the crisis implied by putrahīnatā (sonlessness).

What does ‘śraddadhatsva’ imply about the nature of the message?

It frames the oracle as satya (truth-bearing) yet requiring śraddhā (trust/faith) to act upon it. The text emphasizes that dharmic action—here, Sudevā’s extreme vow—rests on confidence in a higher moral-cosmic order.