Shloka 56
Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa-prasaṅgaḥ — Genealogy of the Ikṣvāku Line and Exempla of Royal Dharma
तस्य पत्नी गले बद्ध्वा मध्यमं पुत्रमौरसम् । शेषस्य भरणार्थाय व्यक्रीणाद्गोशतेन च
tasya patnī gale baddhvā madhyamaṃ putramaurasam | śeṣasya bharaṇārthāya vyakrīṇādgośatena ca
Then his wife, tying their middle son—her own natural-born child—by the neck, sold him for a hundred cows in order to maintain the remaining family.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It portrays the crushing force of karma and poverty-driven adharma, showing how ignorance and desperation can lead to grave wrongdoing—an implicit call to seek Shiva’s grace, live by dharma, and avoid actions that deepen bondage (pāśa).
Though the verse itself is narrative, such episodes in the Uma Saṁhitā function as moral context: devotion to Saguna Shiva and dharmic living are presented as supports that steady the householder, preventing descent into harmful acts and guiding the soul toward Shiva (Pati).
A practical takeaway is dharmic restraint with daily Shiva-smaraṇa—repeating the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and maintaining purity of conduct—so that hardship does not push one into adharma.