Shloka 18
संवरणस्य पतनं, सचिवोपचारः, वसिष्ठस्य सूर्योपगमनम्
Saṃvaraṇa’s Collapse, Ministerial Aid, and Vasiṣṭha’s Approach to Sūrya
जातमात्र: पुरा चैव ममाड्कात् पतितो गिरौ । शरीरगौरवादस्य शिला गान्रैविंचूर्णिता,पहलेकी बात है, जब वह नवजात शिशुके रूपमें था, उसी समय मेरी गोदसे छूटकर पर्ववके शिखरपर गिर पड़ा था। जिस चट्टानपर यह गिरा, वह इसके शरीरकी गुरुताके कारण चूर-चूर हो गयी थी
jātamātraḥ purā caiva mamāṅkāt patito girau | śarīra-gauravād asya śilā gātrair iva cūrṇitā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Il y a longtemps, alors qu’il venait à peine de naître, il glissa de mes genoux et tomba sur un sommet de montagne. Par le seul poids de son corps, le rocher sur lequel il chuta fut brisé en morceaux, comme écrasé par ses membres.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions less as a direct moral injunction and more as a narrative marker: it highlights an extraordinary event from infancy that signals unusual destiny and power. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical world, such portents often frame later responsibility—great strength or exceptional birth is implicitly tied to future duty (dharma) and the consequences of one’s nature.
Yudhiṣṭhira recounts an incident from the subject’s infancy: the newborn slipped from his lap and fell onto a mountain rock, yet the rock broke apart under the child’s weight. The description emphasizes the child’s remarkable physical heaviness/force and serves as a memorable sign of exceptional qualities.