Shloka 18
Ṛśyaśṛṅgopākhyāna-praveśaḥ — Lomāśa narrates the origins of Ṛśyaśṛṅga and the Anga drought (ऋश्यशृङ्गोपाख्यान-प्रवेशः)
देवाक्ष ऋषयश्नैव वसन्त्यद्यापि भारत । तेषां सायं तथा प्रातर्दश्यते हव्यवाहन:,भारत! आज भी यहाँ देवता तथा ऋषि निवास करते हैं। सायंकाल और प्रात:काल यहाँ उनके द्वारा प्रजजलित की हुई अग्निका दर्शन होता है
devākṣa ṛṣayaś caiva vasanty adyāpi bhārata | teṣāṁ sāyaṁ tathā prātar dṛśyate havyavāhanaḥ ||
Wika ni Lomasa: “O Bhārata, hanggang ngayon ay nananahan pa rito ang mga diyos at ang mga ṛṣi. Sa dapithapon at sa bukang-liwayway, nakikita rito ang banal na apoy na kanilang sinisindihan.”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the sanctity of a tīrtha: divine and sage-like presence is affirmed through the visible sign of ongoing Vedic practice—Agni, the carrier of offerings—seen at the prescribed ritual times (dawn and dusk).
Lomasa, guiding Yudhiṣṭhira during the forest journey, points out a holy spot and testifies that gods and sages still reside there, evidenced by the ritual fire seen in the morning and evening.