Shloka 17
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
प्राचेतसस्तथा दक्ष: कन्याषष्टिमजीजनत् । ता वै ब्रह्मर्षय: सर्वा: प्रजार्थ प्रतिपेदिरे
Prācetasas tathā Dakṣaḥ kanyā-ṣaṣṭim ajījanat | Tā vai brahmarṣayaḥ sarvāḥ prajā-arthaṃ pratipedire ||
Bhīṣma said: “Dakṣa, the son of Pracetas, begot sixty daughters. All of them were accepted by the Brahmarṣis as wives for the sake of generating progeny—thus sustaining the continuity of creation through lawful, dharmic household life.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores prajā-utpatti (the continuation of life and society) as a dharmic aim, achieved through sanctioned marital alliances and the gṛhastha framework, which supports cosmic and social continuity.
Bhīṣma recounts a creation-genealogy episode: Dakṣa, descended from Pracetas, fathers sixty daughters, and the Brahmarṣis take them as wives to generate progeny, linking sage-lineages to the expansion of beings.