Takṣaka’s agency, Parīkṣit’s rites, and Janamejaya’s enthronement (वैयासिक परम्परा-प्रसङ्गः)
अथ कालस्य महत: स मुनि: संशितव्रत: । तपस्यभिरतो धीमान् स दारान् नाभ्यकाड्क्षत,तदनन्तर दीर्घकाल बीत जानेपर भी कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले परम बुद्धिमान् जरत्कारु मुनि केवल तपमें ही लगे रहे। उन्होंने स्त्रीसंग्रहकी इच्छा नहीं की
atha kālasya mahataḥ sa muniḥ saṃśitavrataḥ | tapasyabhirato dhīmān sa dārān nābhyakāṅkṣat ||
Tras haber transcurrido larguísimo tiempo, aquel sabio de votos firmes—prudente y enteramente entregado a las austeridades—no deseó tomar esposa. El relato subraya su elección deliberada de la disciplina ascética por encima de la vida doméstica, y pone de relieve la tensión ética entre la renuncia personal y el deber social de perpetuar el linaje.
शौनक उवाच
The verse highlights steadfastness in chosen dharma: Jaratkāru’s strict vows and commitment to tapas lead him to renounce marriage. It also implicitly raises the ethical balance between personal renunciation and obligations to family/lineage that later become significant in his story.
Śaunaka describes that, even after a long time, the sage Jaratkāru remained absorbed in austerities and did not wish to accept a wife, setting up the later narrative pressure for him to marry for a specific dharmic purpose.