न च ताभ्यां सुतो जातः कथंचिदपि वंशजः । वयसोंऽतेऽपि विप्रेंद्रास्ततो दुःखं व्यजायत
na ca tābhyāṃ suto jātaḥ kathaṃcidapi vaṃśajaḥ | vayasoṃ'te'pi vipreṃdrāstato duḥkhaṃ vyajāyata
Pourtant, d’eux deux ne naquit aucun fils, nul héritier de leur lignée, d’aucune manière. Ô le plus éminent des brāhmaṇas, même au soir de leur vie, la peine en naquit.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Śaunaka-saṃvāda context; Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrthamāhātmya narration)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor addressed as viprendra (explicit)
Scene: An aged royal couple in private chambers; the emptiness of the nursery/lineage symbols (unlit lamp, unused cradle) contrasts with their former splendor; a brāhmaṇa sage is addressed as viprendra.
Worldly sorrow, such as grief over lineage, becomes the catalyst for turning toward tapas and sacred worship.
The narrative is moving toward the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra and the manifestation known as Raivateśvara, praised later in this adhyāya.
No direct rite is prescribed here; it sets the motive for later tapas and deity-worship for obtaining a son.