Mahabharata · 1.173.20–21
॥
Devanāgarī
एवं शप्त्वा तु राजानं सा तम् आङ्गिरसी शुभा ॥
तस्यैव संनिधौ दीप्तं प्रविवेश हुताशनम् ॥
वसिष्ठश् च महाभागः सर्वम् एतद् अपश्यत ॥
ज्ञानयोगेन महता तपसा च परंतप ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
evaṃ śaptvā tu rājānaṃ sā tam āṅgirasī śubhā ||
tasyaiva saṃnidhau dīptaṃ praviveśa hutāśanam ||
vasiṣṭhaś ca mahābhāgaḥ sarvam etad apaśyata ||
jñānayogena mahatā tapasā ca paraṃtapa ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एवं शप्त्वा तु राजानं सा तम् आङ्गिरसी शुभाevaṃ śaptvā tu rājānaṃ sā tam āṅgirasī śubhāhaving thus cursed the king, that auspicious woman of the line of Angiras
तस्य एव संनिधौ दीप्तं प्रविवेश हुताशनम्tasya eva saṃnidhau dīptaṃ praviveśa hutāśanamentered a blazing fire in his very presence;
वसिष्ठः च महाभागः सर्वम् एतत् अपश्यतvasiṣṭhaḥ ca mahābhāgaḥ sarvam etat apaśyataand the greatly fortunate Vasishtha beheld all this
ज्ञानयोगेन महता तपसा च परंतपjñānayogena mahatā tapasā ca paraṃtapaby great knowledge-yoga and austerity, O scorcher of foes;
तस्यैवtasyaivaoriginal form "tasyaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वसिष्ठश्vasiṣṭhaśoriginal form "vasiṣṭhaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतद्etadoriginal form "etad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
'Having thus cursed the king, that auspicious woman of the line of Angiras entered a blazing fire in his very presence; and the greatly fortunate Vasishtha beheld all this by great knowledge-yoga and austerity.'
Version
141792914afd · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:37:22 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the wife's grief is completed by following her husband in death. It is telling that the brahmin woman, having cursed the king, at once enters the fire: unable to live without her husband, she follows him into death. Here is the depth of conjugal love, for which life without the beloved is empty; yet it must also be discerned that a willful death is not the path enjoined by wisdom -- here is shown the force of grief, not a model to imitate. It is telling, too, that Vasishtha 'beheld it all' through insight: nothing is hidden from one who knows. Thus scripture reveals the tragic wholeness of a wife's love and the all-seeing knowledge of the sage who foresees the weaving of destinies.