Shloka 1
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī
ऑपन-आक्ात [छ। अकाल $३-अम्निष्टोम
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
sa kathaṃ kāñcanaṣṭhīvī sṛñjayasya suto 'bhavat |
parvateṇa kimarthaṃ vā dattas tena mamāra ca ||
युधिष्ठिर ने कहा— “भगवन्! काञ्चनष्ठीवी सृंजय का पुत्र कैसे हुआ? मुनि पर्वत ने उसे किस कारण दिया—और वह क्यों मर गया?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into the nature of boons, lineage, and impermanence: even divinely or ascetically granted gifts (like a son) remain subject to causality and death, prompting reflection on dharma, responsibility, and the limits of worldly attainments.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks how Sṛñjaya obtained a son named Kāñcanaṣṭhīvī through the sage Parvata, and why that son later died—setting up the ensuing account explaining the circumstances, purpose of the boon, and the cause of the death.