Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 97
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
तामब्रवीद्धसन् देवो भविता वै सुतस्तव
tām abravīd hasan devo bhavitā vai sutas tava | devi mama kṛpayā kevalaṃ yajñasambandhīyāyāś caru-dravasya pāna-mātreṇa pati-sahāyaṃ vināpi te putro bhaviṣyati—na saṃśayaḥ | sa ca tava vaṃśe tavaiva nāmnā yathā-kāmaṃ khyātiṃ prāpsyati ||
Smiling, the divine one said to her: “A son will indeed be born to you. O goddess, by my grace, merely by drinking the sacrificial oblation—the liquid of the caru—you will obtain a son even without the cooperation of a husband; of this there is no doubt. And within your lineage he will gain renown, bearing your very name, according to his wish.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes the certainty of divine grace and the power attributed to properly sanctioned ritual means: a boon is granted with assurance (“no doubt”), linking ethical legitimacy to divine authorization rather than ordinary human agency.
Vāsudeva, smiling, reassures a woman addressed as “Devī” that she will obtain a son simply by drinking the sacrificial caru-liquid, even without a husband’s participation, and that the child will become renowned in her lineage, bearing her name.