Shloka 8

Śibi’s Weighing of Dharma

The Hawk and the Dove Trial) — शिबेर्धर्मतुला (श्येन-कपोतोक्तिः

Devanagari script

एतदू विष्णुपद॑ं नाम दृश्यते तीर्थमुत्तमम्‌ । एषा रम्या विपाशा च नदी परमपावनी,यह विष्णुपद नामवाला उत्तम तीर्थ दिखायी देता है तथा यह परम पावन और मनोरम विपाशा (व्यास) नदी है। यहीं भगवान्‌ वसिष्ठ मुनि पुत्रशोकसे पीड़ित हो अपने शरीरको पाशोंसे बाँधकर कूद पड़े थे, परंतु पुनः विपाश (पाशमुक्त) होकर जलसे बाहर निकल आये

Transliteration

etad u viṣṇupadaṃ nāma dṛśyate tīrtham uttamam | eṣā ramyā vipāśā ca nadī paramapāvanī ||

Translation

“Aqui se vê o tīrtha supremo chamado Viṣṇupada. E este é o rio Vipāśā, encantador e purificador por excelência. Foi aqui que o sábio Vasiṣṭha, atormentado pela dor de seu filho, amarrou o próprio corpo com laços e se lançou; mas foi libertado das amarras e tornou a emergir das águas.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'etad', 'definition': 'this (here/this place)'}, {'term': 'u', 'definition': 'indeed

• emphatic particle'}, {'term': 'viṣṇupadam', 'definition': '‘Viṣṇu’s footprint’

• name of a holy place/ford'}, {'term': 'nāma', 'definition': 'by name

• called'}, {'term': 'dṛśyate', 'definition': 'is seen

• appears'}, {'term': 'tīrtham', 'definition': 'sacred ford

• pilgrimage place'}, {'term': 'uttamam', 'definition': 'supreme

• excellent'}, {'term': 'eṣā', 'definition': 'this (feminine

• referring to the river)'}, {'term': 'ramyā', 'definition': 'lovely

• delightful'}, {'term': 'vipāśā', 'definition': 'Vipāśā (river

• traditionally identified with the Beas)'}, {'term': 'nadī', 'definition': 'river'}, {'term': 'parama-pāvanī', 'definition': 'most purifying

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇupada (tīrtha)
• Vipāśā river
• Vasiṣṭha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even overwhelming grief should not drive one to self-destruction; sacred places and divine order are portrayed as restoring restraint and releasing one from bonds—literal and emotional—guiding the sufferer back toward dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker points out a renowned pilgrimage spot called Viṣṇupada and the purifying river Vipāśā, recalling the episode where Vasiṣṭha, anguished by his son’s death, tried to end his life by jumping in bound with ropes, but was freed and came out alive.