Shloka 2.108.11

जाबाल्युपदेशः — Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama

Devanagari script

बीजमात्रं पिता जन्तो श्शुक्लं रुधिरमेव च।संयुक्तमृतुमन्मात्रा पुरुषस्येह जन्म तत्।।।।

Transliteration

bījamātraṃ pitā jantoḥ śuklaṃ rudhiram eva ca |

saṃyuktam ṛtumanmātrā puruṣasyeha janma tat || 2.108.11 ||

Translation

For a living being, the father is merely a seed—semen and blood; when they unite in the mother at the fertile time, from that union a person’s birth arises in this world.

Context

For a living being, the father is only a drop of white blood (semen). During her menstrual period this is blended in the mother's womb due to which a man is born in this world.

Characters & Entities

• Jābāli
• Rāma
• father (pitā)
• mother (implicit via ṛtumatī)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

It challenges dharma by reducing fatherhood to biology alone, implying that moral debts and filial duty lack binding force—an argument the epic frames as ethically suspect.

What is the narrative situation?

Jābāli continues his persuasion by offering a naturalistic account of birth to weaken Rāma’s sense of obligation toward Daśaratha.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s commitment to relational dharma (pitṛ-ṛṇa, duty to father) is implicitly tested against purely material explanations.