Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 30

कृपकृपी-जननम्

The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras

Devanagari script

सो>हमेवं विदित्वैतत्‌ प्रपश्यामि शुचिस्मिते | अनपत्य: शुभॉल्लोकान्‌ न प्राप्स्यामीति चिन्तयन्‌

Transliteration

so 'ham evaṁ viditvैतat prapaśyāmi śucismite | anapatyaḥ śubhāṁl lokān na prāpsyāmīti cintayan |

Translation

«Ayant ainsi compris cela, ô toi au sourire pur, je le vois clairement : faute de descendance, je n’atteindrai pas les mondes auspices.» Pensant ainsi, il demeura sans cesse absorbé par cette inquiétude.

Word by Word

• {"so 'ham": 'I indeed

• I myself', 'evaṁ': 'thus

• in this manner', 'viditvā': 'having known/understood', 'etat': 'this (matter)', 'prapaśyāmi': 'I see clearly

• I perceive distinctly', 'śuci-smite': 'O one with a pure/bright smile (vocative feminine)', 'anapatyaḥ': 'without offspring

• childless', 'śubhān lokān': 'auspicious worlds (heavenly realms attained by merit)', 'na prāpsyāmi iti': '‘I will not attain’—thus (thinking)', 'cintayan': 'thinking

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kuntibhoja-kumārī (Pṛthā/Kuntī, implied by address śucismite and the Hindi gloss)
• Auspicious worlds (śubhāḥ lokāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reflects the traditional dharmic view that progeny is tied to continuity of family duties and posthumous merit; childlessness is feared as a barrier to attaining ‘auspicious worlds,’ prompting ethical concern and deliberate action within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A male speaker addresses the ‘pure-smiling’ Kuntibhoja princess (Kuntī/Pṛthā), stating that after understanding the situation he foresees he will not reach auspicious realms because he has no offspring, and he remains preoccupied with this worry.