Shloka 29

Agastya–Lopāmudrā: Marriage, Austerity, and Conditions for Conjugal Union (लोमशकथितम्)

Devanagari script

एवंविधा: सुबहवस्तस्य यज्ञा महीपते: । बभूवुरस्य सरस: समीपे कुरुनन्दन,कुरुनन्दन! महाराज गयके ऐसे ही बहुत-से यज्ञ इस ब्रह्मसरोवरके समीप सम्पन्न हुए हैं

Transliteration

evaṁvidhāḥ subahavas tasya yajñā mahīpateḥ | babhūvur asya sarasaḥ samīpe kurunandana kurunandana ||

Translation

噫，俱卢之俊杰！那位国王曾多次举行此等祭祀，皆在这圣湖之畔圆满完成。

Word by Word

एवम्thus; in this manner

विधाःof such kind

सुबहवःvery many

तस्यof him/that

यज्ञाःsacrifices

महीपतेःof the king (lord of the earth)

बभूवुःwere; came to be

अस्यof this/him

सरसःof the lake

समीपेnear; in the vicinity

कुरुनन्दनO delight of the Kurus

Speaker

शमठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kurunandana (Kuru prince, likely Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

mahīpati (the king, contextually King Gaya)

sarasa (the lake; Brahma-saras/Brahma-sarovara per the accompanying gloss)

yajña (sacrificial rites)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 dharmic kingship: a ruler’s greatness is shown through sustained performance of righteous, tradition-bound sacrifices at sanctified places, emphasizing responsibility, continuity of duty, and reverence for sacred sites.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker tells the Kuru prince that the king (identified in the surrounding context as Gaya) conducted many sacrifices of the described type, and that these rites were performed near a particular sacred lake (Brahma-saras/Brahma-sarovara), reinforcing the place’s sanctity and the king’s piety.