Rantideva’s Supreme Charity and the Hastī Lineage
Hastināpura and Pañcāla Origins
तस्य सत्यधृति: पुत्रो धनुर्वेदविशारद: । शरद्वांस्तत्सुतो यस्मादुर्वशीदर्शनात् किल । शरस्तम्बेऽपतद् रेतो मिथुनं तदभूच्छुभम् ॥ ३५ ॥
tasya satyadhṛtiḥ putro dhanur-veda-viśāradaḥ śaradvāṁs tat-suto yasmād urvaśī-darśanāt kila śara-stambe ’patad reto mithunaṁ tad abhūc chubham
Śatānanda’s son was Satyadhṛti, renowned for mastery of archery, and Satyadhṛti’s son was Śaradvān. It is said that upon beholding Urvaśī, Śaradvān discharged semen, which fell upon a clump of śara grass. From that were born two most auspicious infants—one male and one female.
This verse states that Śaradvān, born from Satyadhṛti, was connected with an incident where, upon seeing Urvaśī, his semen fell on a clump of reeds, from which an auspicious pair of twins was born.
Urvaśī is mentioned because her appearance becomes the immediate narrative cause for the extraordinary birth event described here, which is part of tracing the dynastic line in Canto 9.
It highlights how powerful sense-impressions can be and implicitly encourages self-control and mindfulness, even for talented or accomplished people.