Shloka 78
The Greatness of Puṣkara: Tripuṣkara Pilgrimage, Sacred Geography, and the Doctrine of Self-Restraint
तानेवमुक्त्वा द्विपदां वरिष्ठः प्राणांस्ततोऽसौ सहसोत्ससर्ज । सुरास्तदस्थीनि सवासवास्ते यथोपयोगं जगृहुः स्म तस्य
tānevamuktvā dvipadāṃ variṣṭhaḥ prāṇāṃstato'sau sahasotsasarja | surāstadasthīni savāsavāste yathopayogaṃ jagṛhuḥ sma tasya
एवं तान् उक्त्वा द्विपदां वरिष्ठः सः सहसा प्राणान् उत्ससर्ज। तस्य अस्थीनि सवासवाः सुराः यथोपयोगं जगृहुः स्म।
Narrator (contextual speaker not explicit in this single verse)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: forest
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तानेवमुक्त्वा = तान् एवम् उक्त्वा; प्राणांस्ततोऽसौ = प्राणान् ततः असौ; सहसोत्ससर्ज = सहसा उत्ससर्ज; सुरास्तदस्थीनि = सुराः तत् अस्थीनि; सवासवास्ते = सवासवाः ते; यथोपयोगं = यथा उपयोगम्
FAQs
A revered human (the “best among bipeds”) suddenly relinquishes his life-breath, after which the gods, led by Indra, gather his bones for a specific sacred or cosmic purpose.
Vāsava is a common epithet of Indra, the king of the gods, indicating that Indra is present among the devas who collect the bones.
It suggests purposeful stewardship: even the remains of a great person are treated as instruments for dharmic or cosmic ends, emphasizing that actions and resources are to be directed toward rightful, higher aims.