Shloka 18

Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins

Devanagari script

तत औशनसे तीर्थे तस्योपस्पृशतस्तदा । तच्छिरश्नरणं मुक्त्वा पपातान्तर्जले तदा,तदनन्तर वे ब्रह्मर्षि वहाँ औशनसतीर्थमें गये और उसके जलसे आचमन एवं स्नान किया। उसी समय वह कपाल उनके चरण (जाँघ)-को छोड़कर पानीके भीतर गिर पड़ा

Transliteration

tata auśanase tīrthe tasyopaspṛśatas tadā | tacchiraḥ-śaraṇaṃ muktvā papātāntarjale tadā ||

Translation

At sa banal na tawiran na Auśanasa, habang isinasagawa niya ang ācamana at ang ritwal na pagligo, ang bungong nakakapit sa kanyang hita/paa ay bumitaw at sa sandaling iyon ay nahulog sa tubig.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

औशनसेin (the place) belonging to Uśanas

तीर्थेat the sacred ford/pilgrimage spot

तस्यof that (place)

उपस्पृशतःwhile (he) was sipping/performing ācamana

तदाat that time

तत्that (thing)

शिरःhead

स्नरणम्slipping/flowing (reading uncertain)

मुक्त्वाhaving released/letting go

पपातfell

अन्तर्जलेin the water, within the water

तदाthen, at that time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Auśanasa Tīrtha (Auśanasa tīrtha)

kapāla (skull)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tīrtha as a locus of purification: disciplined ritual action (ācamana/snān) at a sacred place can symbolically and narratively loosen the grip of prior burdens, pointing to the ethical idea that purification and release are connected to right observance and sacred context.

What is happening in the narrative?

At Auśanasa Tīrtha, during ritual sipping and bathing, a skull that had been attached to the person’s thigh/foot detaches and drops into the water, marking a turning point in the episode being narrated by Vaiśampāyana.