Shloka 39

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

जनमेजय उवाच कस्मात्‌ सरस्वती ब्रद्यान्‌ निवृत्ता प्राडमुखी भवत्‌ । व्याख्यातमेतदिच्छामि सर्वमध्वर्युसत्तम

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca kasmāt sarasvatī bradyān nivṛttā prāḍmukhī bhavat | vyākhyātam etad icchāmi sarvam adhvaryusattama ||

Translation

Janamejaya berkata: “Atas sebab apakah Sungai Sarasvatī, ketika mengalir deras, berpaling semula lalu menghadap ke timur? Wahai yang terbaik antara para pendeta pelaksana upacara, aku ingin mendengar seluruh perkara ini dijelaskan.”

Word by Word

जनमेजयःJanamejaya

उवाचsaid

कस्मात्from what cause? why?

सरस्वतीSarasvatī (river/goddess)

ब्रद्यात्would/should flow (go)

निवृत्ताhaving turned back, having ceased/returned

प्राक्eastward; towards the east

मुखीfacing (having the face) toward

अभवत्became, was

व्याख्यातम्explained, expounded

एतत्this

इच्छामिI wish/desire

सर्वम्all, the whole (matter)

अध्वर्यु-सत्तमO best of Adhvaryu priests

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

Sarasvatī

Adhvaryu (best of priests)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic inquiry: a ruler seeks a complete, reasoned explanation from a qualified ritual authority, emphasizing that sacred phenomena and traditions should be understood through careful questioning and authoritative exposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya asks the chief priest-narrator to explain why the sacred river Sarasvatī, described as flowing swiftly, reversed course and became east-facing, requesting the full account behind this unusual event.