Shloka 172
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
(कुरूद्धवा यतो यूयं कौरवा: कुरवस्तथा । पौरवा आजमीढाक्ष भारता भरतर्षभ || तापत्यमखिल प्रोक्तं वृत्तान्तं तव पूर्वकम् । पुरोहितमुखा यूय॑ भुड्ग्ध्वं वै पृथिवीमिमाम् ।।
gandharva uvāca |
kurūddhavā yato yūyaṃ kauravāḥ kuravas tathā |
pauravā ājamīḍhākṣa bhāratā bharatarṣabha ||
tāpatyam akhilaṃ proktaṃ vṛttāntaṃ tava pūrvakam |
purohitamukhā yūyaṃ bhuṅkdhvaṃ vai pṛthivīm imām ||
Gandharva berkata: “Karena kalian berasal dari Kuru, kalian disebut ‘Kaurava’ dan juga ‘keturunan Kuru’. Demikian pula, karena turun dari Puru kalian disebut ‘Paurava’; karena lahir dalam garis Ajamīḍha kalian disebut ‘Ājamīḍha’; dan karena lahir dalam wangsa Bharata, wahai yang terbaik di antara Bharata, kalian disebut ‘Bhārata’. Maka telah kusampaikan sepenuhnya kisah purba tentang Tapatī, leluhur-ibu kalian. Kini, dengan menempatkan purohita di barisan terdepan, lindungilah bumi ini dan nikmatilah ia menurut dharma.”
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dynastic power is framed as legitimate only when exercised under dharma: the king should place the purohita (custodian of ritual and counsel) in front and then protect and ‘enjoy’ the earth—i.e., rule responsibly, not merely possess.
A Gandharva concludes the Tapatī episode by explaining the various lineage-based names of the Kuru descendants (Kaurava, Paurava, Ājamīḍha, Bhārata) and then exhorts them to govern the realm with the guidance of their priest.