Shloka 4
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
कथमायुरवाप्रोति कथं भवति सत्त्ववान् | कथमव्यंगतामेति लक्षण्यो जायते कथम्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
katham āyur avāpnoti kathaṁ bhavati sattvavān | katham avyaṅgatām eti lakṣaṇyo jāyate katham ||
“Bagaimana seseorang meraih umur panjang? Bagaimana ia menjadi kuat dan penuh daya hidup batin? Dengan cara apa ia mencapai keutuhan—tanpa cacat atau kekurangan—dan bagaimana ia terlahir dengan tanda-tanda yang membawa keberuntungan?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: longevity, strength, bodily wholeness, and auspicious qualities are not treated as mere chance but as outcomes to be understood through right conduct, inner virtue (sattva), and ethical living—topics that the ensuing instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva typically elaborates.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance on the foundations of a good and complete human life, asks an elder authority (in this parva’s instructional setting) how one gains long life, strength, freedom from defects, and auspicious characteristics.