Shloka 14
Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)
पपात भूमिं राजेन्द्र शुकस्यार्थे महात्मन: । कुरुनन्दन! राजेन्द्र! आकाशसे महात्मा शुकदेवके लिये दण्ड और काला मृगचर्म--ये दोनों वस्तुएँ पृथ्वीपर गिरी ।।
pāpāta bhūmiṁ rājendra śukasya arthe mahātmanaḥ | kurunandana rājendra ākāśe sa mahātmā śukadevake liye daṇḍaḥ kṛṣṇamṛgacarma ca—ete ubhe vastūnī pṛthivyāṁ papātuḥ ||
(jegīyante sma gandharvā nanṛtuś cāpsarogaṇāḥ | hāhā hūhūś ca gandharvā viśvāvasu-tumburu-nāradaiḥ saha tuṣṭuvuḥ śukasambhavam ||)
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, pour le grand-souffle Śuka, deux objets —le bâton de l’ascète et la peau d’antilope noire— tombèrent sur la terre, comme accordés du ciel. Alors les Gandharvas se mirent à chanter et les troupes d’Apsaras à danser ; les tambours célestes retentirent puissamment, et des Gandharvas tels que Viśvāvasu, Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā et Hūhū louèrent et célébrèrent l’heureuse venue de Śuka.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that genuine spiritual vocation (tapas and renunciation) is inherently auspicious and is ‘recognized’ by the moral order of the universe. The falling of the staff and antelope-skin symbolizes readiness for disciplined ascetic life, implying that dharma supports those oriented toward self-control and truth.
At Śuka’s advent, ascetic emblems (a staff and black antelope-skin) are said to fall to earth as if granted from the sky. Gandharvas sing, Apsarases dance, celestial drums sound, and renowned Gandharvas (Viśvāvasu, Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā, Hūhū) praise Śuka’s birth.