Shloka 8

पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता

Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny

Devanagari script

तथोक्ता सा तु विप्रेण कुन्ती कौतूहलान्विता । कन्या सती देवमर्कमाजुहाव यशस्विनी,ब्रह्मर्षि दुर्वासाके यों कहनेपर कुन्तीके मनमें बड़ा कौतूहल हुआ। वह यशस्विनी राजकन्या यद्यपि अभी कुमारी थी, तो भी उसने मन्त्रकी परीक्षाके लिये सूर्यदेवका आवाहन किया

Transliteration

tathoktā sā tu vipreṇa kuntī kautūhalānvitā | kanyā satī devam arkam ājuhāva yaśasvinī ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Thus addressed by the brahmin, Kuntī—filled with curiosity—though still an unmarried maiden, invoked the Sun-god Arka to test the power of the mantra. The episode highlights how youthful inquisitiveness and the desire to verify sacred knowledge can lead to consequences that demand later ethical responsibility.

Word by Word

तथाthus

उक्ताspoken/told

साshe

तुbut/indeed

विप्रेणby the brahmin

कुन्तीKunti

कौतूहलwith curiosity

अन्विताendowed/possessed

कन्याmaiden

सतीbeing

देवम्the god

अर्कम्Arka (the Sun)

आजुहावinvoked/called

यशस्विनीglorious/renowned

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kuntī

vipra (brahmin)

Arka (Sūrya, the Sun-god)

mantra (implied by context)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred power is not merely to be tested out of curiosity; invoking divine forces carries moral and practical consequences. The verse frames an ethical tension between inquisitiveness and responsibility, especially when one acts without fully foreseeing outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being instructed by a brahmin (contextually connected with the mantra given to her), Kuntī—still a maiden—invokes the Sun-god Arka to verify the mantra’s efficacy, setting in motion the events that will lead to Karṇa’s birth.