Shloka 137

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

Devanagari script

वृषादर्भिप्रयुक्तैषा निहता मे तपोधना: । दुष्टा हिंस्थादियं पापा युष्मान्‌ प्रत्यग्निसम्भवा

Transliteration

vṛṣādarbhiprayuktaiṣā nihatā me tapodhanāḥ | duṣṭā hiṃsthād iyaṃ pāpā yuṣmān pratyagnisambhavā ||

Translation

శునఃసఖుడు అన్నాడు—వృషభమును దర్భగడ్డిని ప్రయోగించి ఈ దుష్ట స్త్రీ నా తపోధనాన్ని, కష్టార్జిత పుణ్యాన్ని నశింపజేసింది. అగ్నిజన్మమైన ఈ పాపిని హింస్రురాలు; నన్ను హానిచేసి, మీపై కూడా ద్వేషంతో ఉంది.

Word by Word

• वृषादर्भि-प्रयुक्ता: impelled/urged by Vṛṣādarbhi
• वृषादर्भि-प्रयुक्ता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृषादर्भि + प्रयुक्त (√युज्)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• निहता: was slain/killed
• निहता: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: निहत (√हन्)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मे: of me / my
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• तपोधनाः: ascetics rich in austerity (my sages)
• तपोधनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दुष्टा: wicked
• दुष्टा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• हिंसिता: having harmed / injuring
• हिंसिता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसित (√हिंस्)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• इयं: this (woman)
• इयं: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पापा: sinful, vile
• पापा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• युष्मान्: you (all)
• युष्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Plural

• प्रति: towards, against
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• अग्नि-सम्भवा: fire-born (one), born from Agni
• अग्नि-सम्भवा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि + सम्भव
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

शुन:सख उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शुन:सख (Śunaḥsakha)
• अग्निसम्भवा (a fire-born woman)
• वृष (bull)
• दर्भ (darbha/kuśa grass)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of harming ascetic merit (tapas) through malicious or ritualized means: spiritual wealth is portrayed as precious, and its destruction is condemned as wickedness (duṣṭatā, pāpatā), inviting moral accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śunaḥsakha laments that a fire-born woman has ruined his accumulated tapas, allegedly using a bull and darbha grass as instruments. He denounces her as sinful and warns that her hostility is directed toward the listeners as well.