Shloka 3

अग्निभय-प्रसङ्गे मन्दपालस्य शोकः

Mandapāla’s Lament amid the Threat of Fire

Devanagari script

तमब्रवीद्‌ धूमकेतु: प्रतिगृह जलेश्वरम्‌ । चतुर्थ लोकपालानां देवदेव॑ सनातनम्‌,चौथे लोकपाल सनातन देवदेव जलेश्वर वरुणका स्वागत-सत्कार करके धूमकेतु अग्निने उनसे कहा--

Transliteration

tam abravīd dhūmaketuḥ pratigṛha jaleśvaram | caturtha-lokapālānāṃ devadevaṃ sanātanam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Dhūmaketu đã ngỏ lời với Jaleśvara Varuṇa—Đấng Chúa tể của chư thần muôn thuở, vị hộ thế thứ tư—mời Ngài nhận lấy sự tiếp đãi và lễ nghênh đón đã được dâng bày.

Word by Word

तम्him

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

धूमकेतुःDhūmaketu (Agni; 'smoke-bannered')

प्रतिगृह्यhaving received/accepted

जलेश्वरम्the lord of waters (Varuṇa)

चतुर्थम्the fourth

लोकपालानाम्of the world-guardians

देवदेवम्the god of gods

सनातनम्eternal/ancient

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhūmaketu

Varuṇa (Jaleśvara)

Lokapālas (world-guardians)

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 the dharmic duty of offering and accepting proper hospitality (satkāra) toward honored guests—especially divine or eminent beings—thereby upholding social and cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narratively, Dhūmaketu speaks to Varuṇa, praising him as the eternal 'god of gods' and a Lokapāla, and asks him to accept the welcome and reception being offered.