Shloka 22
परिक्षिद्वृत्तान्तप्रश्नः
Inquiry into Parīkṣit’s Conduct and the Beginnings of His Downfall
पितरस्ते5वलम्बन्ते गर्ते दीना अधोमुखा: । साधु दारान् कुरुष्वेति प्रजामुत्पादयेति च,“जरत्कारो! तुम्हारे पितर अत्यन्त दीन हो नीचे मुँह करके गड्ढेमें लटक रहे हैं। तुम उत्तम रीतिसे पत्नीके साथ विवाह कर लो और उसके द्वारा संतान उत्पन्न करो
pitaras te ’valambante garte dīnā adhomukhāḥ | sādhu dārān kuruṣveti prajām utpādayeti ca |
“Tus antepasados cuelgan desvalidos, boca abajo, en un foso. Te exhortan: ‘Cásate conforme al dharma y engendra descendencia.’” El verso presenta el matrimonio y la procreación no como mero deseo personal, sino como deber ético hacia el linaje: rescatar a los ancestros de la aflicción mediante la continuidad de la estirpe.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes pitṛ-dharma: one should marry and beget children to sustain the lineage and repay the ‘debt to the ancestors,’ thereby ensuring their welfare.
Jaratkāru is being confronted with a vision/appeal that his ancestors are in a dire state, suspended in a pit, and they exhort him to take a wife and produce offspring so the family line continues and they are relieved.