Valmiki Ramayana 1.39.5: Bala Kanda, Sarga 39, Shloka 5
सगरयज्ञाश्वहरणम् · The Stolen Sacrificial Horse of Sagara
Narrated by Viśvāmitra to RamaSetting: Region between Himavān and VindhyaPlaces named: Himavān, Vindhya
तयोर्मध्ये प्रवृत्तोऽभूद्यज्ञ स्सपुरुषोत्तम ।
स हि देशो नरव्याघ्र प्रशस्तो यज्ञकर्मणि ॥५॥
tayor madhye pravṛtto 'bhūd yajñaḥ sa puruṣottama |
sa hi deśo naravyāghra praśasto yajñakarmaṇi ||5||
ระหว่างภูเขาทั้งสองนั้น ได้เริ่มประกอบยัญพิธีขึ้น โอ้บุรุษอุตตมะ; เพราะแดนแห่งนั้น โอ้พยัคฆ์ในหมู่มนุษย์ เป็นสถานที่อันประเสริฐเหมาะแก่กิจแห่งยัญกรรม
Sandhi Notes
- प्रवृत्तः + अभूत् → प्रवृत्तोऽभूत् (अः + अ → ओऽ)
- अभूत् + यज्ञः → अभूद्यज्ञः (त् + य → द्य)
"O best of men, the sacrifice took place in the region in between these two mountains. O tiger among men! the region was appropriate for conducting sacrificial acts.
The teaching
Dharma is strengthened when action is performed in a fitting place and manner; yajña requires auspicious deśa aligned with sacred order.
- Ethical theme
- Vaidika-karma / rāja-dharma
- How it resolves
- Ritual propriety (deśa suitability)
For your practice
Encourages reverence for yajña as disciplined offering; supports daily practice of offering actions with purity of place/mind.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Sacral, ordered, auspicious
Themes
- Dharma
- Ritual order
- Itihasa
- Satya
Yajña as offering of action (karma) into order—karma-yoga prototype where right place/right manner sanctifies action.
Yajña as a bridge between human and cosmic (ṛta) resonates with Upaniṣadic internalization of sacrifice (prāṇa/agni motifs, broadly).
- Himavan and Vindhya
- Boundary witnesses to the ritual space
Bhagavad Gītā 3.9-3.13 (yajña and order; later śāstric parallel); Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (importance of proper deśa for yajña—general ritual principle); Rāmacaritamānasa: emphasis on yajña-bhūmi auspiciousness (thematic parallel)
Vedic ritual science: deśa as a determinant of yajña efficacy
Bālakāṇḍa: repeated framing of Rāma as 'naravyāghra' in instructional contexts
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Steady madhyama with cadential repose on 'yajñakarmaṇi'
FAQs
Dharma includes performing yajña in a proper place and manner—right action depends on right context, discipline, and adherence to sacred procedure.
Viśvāmitra specifies where Sagara’s sacrifice took place: in the region between Himavān and Vindhya, considered auspicious for ritual.
Ritual conscientiousness: choosing an appropriate site reflects care for correctness (śuddhi) and truthfulness to prescribed duty.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
