Shloka 13
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 47 — Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra: Vow, Preparation, and the Onset of the Serpent Offering
तथैव सा च भर्तरें दुःखशीलमुपाचरत् | उपायै: श्वेतकाकीयै: प्रियकामा यशस्विनी,तत्र तस्यथा: समभवद् गर्भो ज्वलनसंनिभ: । अतीवतेजसा युक्तो वैश्वानरसमद्युति: वहाँ उसे गर्भ रह गया, जो प्रज्वलित अग्निके समान अत्यन्त तेजस्वी तथा तपःशक्तिसे सम्पन्न था। उसकी अंगकान्ति अग्निके तुल्य थी
tathaiva sā ca bhartāraṃ duḥkhaśīlam upācarat | upāyaiḥ śvetakākīyaiḥ priyakāmā yaśasvinī | tatra tasyāḥ samabhavad garbho jvalanasaṃnibhaḥ | atīvatejasā yukto vaiśvānarasamad yutiḥ |
In the same manner, she continued to attend upon her husband, who was of a sorrowful disposition. Seeking what was dear to her, the illustrious woman employed subtle stratagems likened to those of the ‘white-crow’ kind, Śvetakākī. In due course she conceived there a child, blazing like fire—endowed with extraordinary radiance, his splendor comparable to Vaiśvānara, the cosmic fire; the glow of his limbs was like flame.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between service within marriage and desire-driven manipulation: even when one uses unusual or crafty means to obtain what one wants, the results can be far-reaching and powerful. It implicitly invites reflection on intention (kāma) and method (upāya) as morally significant, not merely the outcome.
A woman continues to attend upon her grief-stricken husband, employing rare/peculiar stratagems (‘white-crow-like’ means) to fulfill her desire. As a consequence, she conceives a child described as extraordinarily radiant, like blazing fire and comparable in splendor to Vaiśvānara.