Shloka 17
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
प्राचेतसस्तथा दक्ष: कन्याषष्टिमजीजनत् । ता वै ब्रह्मर्षय: सर्वा: प्रजार्थ प्रतिपेदिरे
Prācetasas tathā Dakṣaḥ kanyā-ṣaṣṭim ajījanat | Tā vai brahmarṣayaḥ sarvāḥ prajā-arthaṃ pratipedire ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Dakṣa, putra Pracetas, memperanakkan enam puluh putri. Demi kelangsungan keturunan, para Brahmarṣi menerima mereka semua sebagai istri menurut dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores prajā-utpatti (the continuation of life and society) as a dharmic aim, achieved through sanctioned marital alliances and the gṛhastha framework, which supports cosmic and social continuity.
Bhīṣma recounts a creation-genealogy episode: Dakṣa, descended from Pracetas, fathers sixty daughters, and the Brahmarṣis take them as wives to generate progeny, linking sage-lineages to the expansion of beings.