Shloka 1
पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता
Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny
है 7 >> छा अि>-छऋाज दशाधिकशततमोब<् ध्याय: कुन्तीको दुर्वासासे मन्त्रकी प्राप्ति, सूर्यदेवका आवाहन तथा उनके संयोगसे कर्णका जन्म एवं कर्णके द्वारा इन्द्रको कवच और कुण्डलोंका दान वैशम्पायन उवाच शूरो नाम यदुश्रेष्ठो वसुदेवपिताभवत् | तस्य कन्या पृथा नाम रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! यदुवंशियोंमें श्रेष्ठ शूरसेन हो गये हैं, जो वसुदेवजीके पिता थे। उन्हें एक कन्या हुई, जिसका नाम पृथा रखा गया। इस भूमण्डलमें उसके रूपकी तुलनामें दूसरी कोई स्त्री नहीं थी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śūro nāma yaduśreṣṭho vasudevapitäbhavat | tasya kanyā pṛthā nāma rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, among the Yādavas there was a foremost man named Śūra, who became the father of Vasudeva. He had a daughter named Pṛthā; in beauty she was without equal upon the earth.” The verse sets a genealogical and moral frame: noble lineage and exceptional qualities are introduced as the background for later events in which personal conduct and the use of divine boons will carry serious ethical consequences.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how narrative ethics in the Mahābhārata often begin with lineage and personal qualities: noble birth and exceptional gifts are not guarantees of right action, but they set the stage for later choices whose consequences unfold through karma and dharma.
Vaiśampāyana introduces Śūra, a leading Yādava and father of Vasudeva, and then introduces his daughter Pṛthā (later known as Kuntī), emphasizing her unmatched beauty—preparing the reader for the ensuing episode about her acquisition and use of a mantra and the events that follow.