Shloka 38
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
रूपयौवनसम्पन्ने पुत्रकामे च धर्मत: । तयोरुत्पादयापत्यं समर्थों हूसि पुत्रक
rūpayauvanasampanne putrakāme ca dharmataḥ | tayor utpādayāpatyaṃ samartho hūsi putraka ||
“Ia dianugerahi kecantikan dan masa muda, dan menurut dharma ia mendambakan seorang putra. Karena itu, wahai anakku, engkau mampu memperanakkan keturunan bagi mereka berdua.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the desire for progeny as legitimate when pursued “according to dharma,” emphasizing that begetting children is not merely personal wish but a duty tied to lawful and ethical norms of lineage and household life.
Vaiśampāyana reports a statement addressed to a younger man (“putraka”), asserting that a woman—described as beautiful, youthful, and righteously desiring a son—should have offspring produced, and that the addressee is capable of accomplishing this for “the two of them.”