Shloka 44
Viśvāmitra-janma: Ṛcīka–Satyavatī–Gādhi and the Charu Exchange (विश्वामित्र-जन्म: ऋचीक–सत्यवती–गाधि वृत्तान्तः)
प्रसादयन्त्यां भार्यायां मयि ब्रह्मविदां वर । प्रसादं कुरु विप्र्॒ें न मे स्यात् क्षत्रिय: सुत:
prasādayantyāṃ bhāryāyāṃ mayi brahmavidāṃ vara | prasādaṃ kuru viprendra na me syāt kṣatriyaḥ sutaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô le meilleur des connaisseurs de Brahman, lorsque ton épouse se tient devant toi en quête de ta faveur, accorde-moi ta grâce, ô le premier des brahmanes : qu’il ne naisse pas de mon sein un fils de l’ordre des kshatriyas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of lineage and intention: a spouse’s plea seeks to avert an outcome (a Kshatriya-born son) that may disrupt expected social-spiritual order, showing how personal desire, varna identity, and ascetic power intersect in dharma narratives.
Gādhi’s daughter, having regained composure, bows to her husband Ṛcīka and begs for his favor, requesting that her pregnancy not result in a Kshatriya son—implying anxiety about the consequences of prior ritual or boon-related circumstances affecting offspring.