Shloka 8
Gālava Completes the Horse-Gift: Garuḍa’s Counsel and Viśvāmitra’s Acceptance (गालव-विष्वामित्र-सम्बन्धः)
न पुत्रफलभोक्ता हि राजर्षे पात्यते दिव: । न याति नरकं घोर यथा गच्छन्त्यनात्मजा:
na putraphalabhoktā hi rājarṣe pātyate divaḥ | na yāti narakaṃ ghoraṃ yathā gacchanty anātmajāḥ ||
Nārada berkata: “Wahai rājaṛṣi, orang yang menikmati pahala kebajikan yang lahir dari seorang putra tidak pernah dijatuhkan dari surga. Ia pun tidak jatuh ke neraka yang mengerikan sebagaimana dikatakan terjadi pada mereka yang tanpa keturunan.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a traditional dharma-idea: progeny—especially a son—generates ongoing religious merit (puṇya) through lineage duties and rites, and one who enjoys that ‘fruit of a son’ is protected from spiritual downfall and the fate attributed to the childless.
Nārada addresses a ‘rājarṣi’ (a king of sage-like conduct) and offers counsel framed in afterlife consequences, using heaven and hell as moral incentives to emphasize the value of having offspring within the dharma framework.