Shloka 18
पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता
Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny
प्रकाशकर्ता तपन: सम्बभूव तया सह । तत्र वीर: समभवत् सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वर: । आमुक्तकवच: श्रीमान् देवगर्भ: श्रियान्वित:,“रानी! मेरी कृपासे तुम्हें दोष भी नहीं लगेगा।” कुन्तिराजकुमारी कुन्तीसे यों कहकर प्रकाश और गरमी उत्पन्न करनेवाले भगवान् सूर्यने उसके साथ समागम किया। इससे उसी समय एक वीर पुत्र उत्पन्न हुआ, जो सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ था। उसने जन्मसे ही कवच पहन रखा था और वह देवकुमारके समान तेजस्वी तथा शोभासम्पन्न था
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prakāśakartā tapanaḥ sambabhūva tayā saha | tatra vīraḥ samabhavat sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | āmuktakavacaḥ śrīmān devagarbhaḥ śriyānvitaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: The Sun-god—maker of light and heat—united with her, and from that union a heroic son was born at once, the foremost among all bearers of weapons. From birth he wore his armor, radiant and auspicious, as though a divine child. The episode frames a morally charged birth: Kuntī’s encounter is presented as divinely sanctioned and protected from blame, yet it sets in motion a life marked by extraordinary gifts and the ethical complexities of secrecy, legitimacy, and destiny.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how divine power can confer extraordinary gifts while still placing humans within complex moral and social realities. Even when an act is said to be protected from blame, its consequences—secrecy, identity, and future obligations—remain ethically significant, urging reflection on responsibility alongside destiny.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Sun-god unites with Kuntī, and immediately a heroic son is born. The child is described as supreme among warriors, born already wearing armor, radiant and auspicious—an unmistakable marker of his divine origin and exceptional future.