Shloka 16
सोमक–जन्तु उपाख्यानम्
Somaka–Jantu Exemplar: The Quest for a Hundred Sons
स्यात्तु कर्म तथा युक्त येन पुत्रशतं भवेत् । महता लघुना वापि कर्मणा दुष्करेण वा,क्या कोई ऐसा उपयोगी कर्म हो सकता है जिससे मेरे सौ पुत्र हो जायँ। भले ही वह कर्म महान् हो, लघु हो अथवा अत्यन्त दुष्कर हो
syāt tu karma tathā yuktaṁ yena putraśataṁ bhavet | mahatā laghunā vāpi karmaṇā duṣkareṇa vā |
Somaka dijo: «¿Existe algún rito eficaz o algún proceder por el cual yo pueda obtener cien hijos? Sea grande o pequeño—sí, aun extraordinariamente difícil—con tal de que alcance ese fin.»
सोमक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds intense desire for progeny and the willingness to pursue any means—great, small, or arduous—raising an ethical tension central to the Mahabharata: whether ends (like lineage and heirs) justify the means (especially when 'karma' implies ritual or consequential action).
Somaka, seeking an extraordinary boon—one hundred sons—asks whether there exists any effective rite or action capable of producing that result, declaring readiness to undertake it regardless of its magnitude or difficulty.