Shloka 14
अष्टावक्र-प्रवेशः तथा ब्रह्मोद्य-प्रारम्भः
Aṣṭāvakra’s Entry and the Opening of the Brahmodya
कथं करिष्याम्यधुना महर्षे मासक्षायं दशमो वर्तते मे । नैवास्ति ते वसु किंचित् प्रजाता येनाहमेतामापदं निस्तरेयम्,“महर्षे! यह मेरे गर्भका दसवाँ महीना चल रहा है। मैं धनहीन नारी खर्चकी कैसे व्यवस्था करूँगी। आपके पास थोड़ा-सा भी धन नहीं है जिससे मैं प्रसवकालके इस संकटसे पार हो सकूँ”
kathaṁ kariṣyāmy adhunā maharṣe māsakṣāyaṁ daśamo vartate me | naivāsti te vasu kiṁcit prajātā yenāham etām āpadaṁ nistareyam ||
“O great sage, what am I to do now? My tenth month is running to its close. I am a woman without means—how can I manage the expenses? You have not even a little wealth, by which I might cross over this crisis at the time of childbirth.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between ascetic poverty and urgent human need: in a moment of āpada (crisis), practical support and compassion become central concerns, especially when vulnerable life (mother and child) is at stake.
A pregnant woman addresses a great sage, saying her tenth month is nearing its end and she has no resources for childbirth expenses; she laments that the sage has no wealth to help her overcome this immediate crisis.