Shloka 2.74.26

भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः (Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum)

Devanagari script

यस्याः पुत्रसहस्रैस्तु कृत्स्नं व्याप्तमिदं जगत्।तां दृष्ट्वा रुदतीं शक्रो न सुतान्मन्यते परम्।।।।

Transliteration

yasyāḥ putrasahasrais tu kṛtsnaṁ vyāptam idaṁ jagat | tāṁ dṛṣṭvā rudatīṁ śakro na sutān manyate param ||

Translation

Though the whole world is filled with her thousand sons, when Śakra (Indra) saw her weeping, he understood: nothing is held higher than one’s own child.

Context

The wish-fulfilling cow (Kamadhenu) had innumerable sons spread all over the world. When Indra saw that Kamadhenu too was weeping for her sons, he concluded 'there is no one greater than a son'.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Śakra)
• Surabhi
• Kāmadhenu
• world (jagat)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights a universal dharmic insight: parental attachment and responsibility are powerful and morally significant, shaping human (and cosmic) notions of duty and care.

What is the narrative situation?

Indra observes Surabhi’s grief despite her countless offspring and draws a conclusion about the incomparable value of a child.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Insight (viveka): the ability to infer a broader moral truth from a concrete instance of suffering.