Shloka 44
Viśvāmitra-janma: Ṛcīka–Satyavatī–Gādhi and the Charu Exchange (विश्वामित्र-जन्म: ऋचीक–सत्यवती–गाधि वृत्तान्तः)
प्रसादयन्त्यां भार्यायां मयि ब्रह्मविदां वर । प्रसादं कुरु विप्र्॒ें न मे स्यात् क्षत्रिय: सुत:,थोड़ी देरमें जब उसे चेत हुआ, तब वह गाधिकुमारी अपने स्वामी भृूगुभूषण ऋचीकके चरणोंमें सिर रखकर प्रणामपूर्वक बोली--'ब्रह्मवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्रह्मर्ष! मैं आपकी पत्नी हूँ, अतः आपसे कृपा-प्रसादकी भीख चाहती हूँ। आप ऐसी कृपा करें जिससे मेरे गर्भसे क्षत्रिय पुत्र उत्पन्न न हो
prasādayantyāṃ bhāryāyāṃ mayi brahmavidāṃ vara | prasādaṃ kuru viprendra na me syāt kṣatriyaḥ sutaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “O best among the knowers of Brahman, when your wife stands before you seeking your favor, grant me your grace, O foremost of Brahmins: let there not be born from my womb a son of the Kshatriya order.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of lineage and intention: a spouse’s plea seeks to avert an outcome (a Kshatriya-born son) that may disrupt expected social-spiritual order, showing how personal desire, varna identity, and ascetic power intersect in dharma narratives.
Gādhi’s daughter, having regained composure, bows to her husband Ṛcīka and begs for his favor, requesting that her pregnancy not result in a Kshatriya son—implying anxiety about the consequences of prior ritual or boon-related circumstances affecting offspring.