Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्वर्गे तेनाभितप्तो5हमप्रजस्तु ब्रवीमि व: । पित्र्यादृणादनिर्मुक्तस्तेन तप्ये तपोधना:,पाण्डुने कहा--महाभाग महर्षिगण! संतानहीनके लिये स्वर्गका दरवाजा बंद रहता है, ऐसा लोग कहते हैं। मैं भी संतानहीन हूँ, इसलिये दुःखसे संतप्त होकर आपलोगोंसे कुछ निवेदन करता हूँ। तपोधनो! मैं पितरोंके ऋणसे अबतक छूट नहीं सका हूँ, इसलिये चिन्तासे संतप्त हो रहा हूँ

Transliteration

svarge tenābhitapto 'ham aprajastu bravīmi vaḥ | pitryād ṛṇād anirmuktas tena tapye tapodhanāḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Aun en el cielo me atormenta ese mismo pensamiento; al no tener descendencia, os hablo. Oh ascetas ricos en austeridad, todavía no me he liberado de la deuda ancestral; por eso ardo de ansiedad».

Word by Word

स्वर्गेin heaven

तेनby that (reason)

अभितप्तःtormented, afflicted

अहम्I

अप्रजःchildless

तुbut, indeed

ब्रवीमिI say, I speak

वःto you / of you

पित्र्याद्from the (duty/claim of the) fathers/ancestors

ऋणात्from the debt/obligation

अनिर्मुक्तःnot freed, not released

तेनtherefore, by that (cause)

तप्येI suffer, I am pained

तपोधनाःO ascetics (those whose wealth is austerity)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

heaven (svarga)

ancestors (pitaraḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic idea of pitṛ-ṛṇa—an obligation to one’s ancestors—commonly understood as being discharged through continuing the lineage and performing ancestral rites. Even heavenly status does not remove the inner burden of an unfulfilled duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker addresses ascetics, confessing distress over being without offspring and therefore feeling still bound by the ‘debt to the ancestors.’ He appeals to them in a state of moral and emotional agitation.