Shloka 7

Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

अजराणामदुः:खानां शतवर्षसहस्रिणाम्‌ । लब्धं पुत्रशतं शर्वात्‌ पुरा पाण्डुनूपात्मज,'पाण्डुनन्दन! पूर्वकालमें गोकर्णतीर्थमें जाकर मैंने सौ वर्षोतक तपस्या करके भगवान्‌ शंकरको संतुष्ट किया। इससे भगवान्‌ शंकरकी ओरसे मुझे सौ पुत्र प्राप्त हुए, जो अयोनिज, जितेन्द्रिय, धर्मज्ञ, परम तेजस्वी, जरारहित, दुःखहीन और एक लाख वर्षकी आयुवाले थे”

Transliteration

ajarāṇām aduḥkhānāṁ śatavarṣa-sahasriṇām | labdhaṁ putraśataṁ śarvāt purā pāṇḍunṛpātmaja ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O son of King Pāṇḍu, long ago I obtained from Śarva (Śiva) a hundred sons—free from old age and free from suffering—each destined to live for a hundred thousand years.”

Word by Word

• अजराणाम्: of the ageless (ones)
• अजराणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अजरा
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अदुःखानाम्: of the sorrowless (ones)
• अदुःखानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदुःख
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• शतवर्षसहस्रिणाम्: of those having a lifespan of a hundred-thousand years
• शतवर्षसहस्रिणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शतवर्षसहस्रिन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• लब्धम्: obtained
• लब्धम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• पुत्रशतम्: a hundred sons
• पुत्रशतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रशत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• शर्वात्: from Śarva (Śiva)
• शर्वात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्व
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• पाण्डुनूपात्मज: O son of Pāṇḍu (Pāṇḍava)
• पाण्डुनूपात्मज: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डुनूपात्मज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍunṛpa (King Pāṇḍu)
• Pāṇḍunṛpātmaja (Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)
• Śarva (Śiva)
• putraśata (hundred sons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata theme that intense devotion and austerity directed toward a deity can yield extraordinary results, yet such gifts (like progeny and longevity) are framed as boons granted by divine will rather than mere human entitlement—encouraging humility and dharmic orientation in seeking blessings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (son of Pāṇḍu) and recounts a past event: he received from Śiva (called Śarva) a boon of one hundred sons characterized as ageless, free from suffering, and extraordinarily long-lived.