Shloka 17
Adhyaya 76 — The Sixth Manvantara: Cakshusha Manu, the Child-Snatcher, and the Problem of Kinship
सा हृत्वा तं तदा बालं विक्रान्तस्य महीभृतः ।
प्रसूतपत्नीशयने न्यस्य तस्याददे सुतम् ॥
sā hṛtvā taṃ tadā bālaṃ vikrāntasya mahībhṛtaḥ / prasūtapatnīśayane nyasya tasyādade sutam
أخذتْ ذلك الطفلَ فوضعته على سريرِ زوجةِ الملكِ فيكرانتا التي كانت قد ولدت لتوِّها، ثم اختطفتْ ابنَ ذلك الملكِ وأخذته معها.
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FAQs
Status and power do not exempt one from suffering produced by negligence or hidden adharma. The royal bedchamber—symbol of security—can still be penetrated by deceit, urging vigilance and righteous protection.
Vaṃśānucarita-adjacent narrative (royal episode) used as dharma instruction; still best classified as Ākhyāna.
Substitution symbolizes misidentification (adhyāsa): taking the ‘wrong child’ mirrors taking the non-self as self. The tale dramatizes how error is installed quietly in the most intimate spaces.