Mahabharata — Ashramavasika Parva, Shloka 22
धृतराष्ट्रदर्शनाय पाण्डवानां प्रयाणम् | The Pāṇḍavas Prepare to Visit Dhṛtarāṣṭra
सन्ति देवनिकायाश्न संकल्पाज्जनयन्ति ये । वाचा दृष्ट्या तथा स्पर्शात् संघर्षणेति पठचधा,“बहुत-से ऐसे देवसमुदाय हैं, जो संकल्प, वचन, दृष्टि, स्पर्श तथा समागम--इन पाँचों प्रकारोंसे पुत्र उत्पन्न करते हैं
santi devanīkāyāś ca saṅkalpāj janayanti ye | vācā dṛṣṭyā tathā sparśāt saṅgharṣaṇeti pañcadhā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “There exist many classes of divine beings who beget offspring in five distinct ways—by mere intention, by spoken word, by a glance, by touch, and by physical union.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a cosmological idea: divine beings are not limited to ordinary biological reproduction. Their creative power can operate through mind (intention), speech, sight, touch, or physical union—highlighting graded potency of subtle forces (thought and word) alongside bodily means.
Vaiśampāyana explains to the listener that many divine hosts have different modes of generating offspring, enumerating five methods. This functions as background doctrine within the Ashramavāsika context, where discussions often broaden from human events to cosmic and ascetic understandings.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.