Shloka 17
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 98 — Paraśurāma’s kṣatriya suppression; Dīrghatamas, Bali, Sudēṣṇā, and the birth of Aṅga
पुत्रजन्म प्रतीक्षन् वै स राजा तदधारयत् | एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु प्रतीप: क्षत्रियर्षभ:
putrajanma pratīkṣan vai sa rājā tad adhārayat | etasminn eva kāle tu pratīpaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That king, waiting for the birth of a son, maintained his resolve and bore the situation with steadiness. And at that very time there lived Pratīpa, the bull among kṣatriyas—an exemplar of royal strength joined with patience and duty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kingly virtue central to rājadharma: steadfast endurance and self-control while awaiting an heir. It frames patience and responsibility—not impulsiveness—as marks of exemplary rulership.
Vaiśampāyana continues the dynastic account: a king is described as waiting for a son’s birth and sustaining his resolve, and the narration situates this period by introducing Pratīpa, praised as an outstanding kṣatriya.