Shloka 16
आस्तीक-उपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः | Introduction to the Āstīka Narrative
तानब्रवीत् स दृष्टवैव जरत्कारु: पितामहान् । के भवन्तो5वलम्बन्ते गर्ते हास्मिन्नधोमुखा:,उन्हें देखते ही जरत्कारुने उनसे पूछा--“आपलोग कौन हैं, जो इस गड़ढेमें नीचेको मुख किये लटक रहे हैं
tān abravīt sa dṛṣṭvaiva jaratkāruḥ pitāmahān | ke bhavanto ’valambante garte hāsmin adhomukhāḥ ||
As soon as he saw them, Jaratkāru addressed those forefathers: “Who are you, hanging suspended in this pit, with your faces turned downward?” The question frames a moral urgency: the plight of ancestors is linked to the living’s responsibility to uphold dharma—especially the duty to continue the family line and perform rites that sustain the departed.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to pitṛ-ṛṇa (debt to ancestors): one’s dharma includes sustaining lineage and performing duties that support forefathers. Neglect of such responsibilities is portrayed as causing suffering to ancestors, making personal renunciation ethically incomplete if it abandons obligatory duties.
Jaratkāru encounters his forefathers in a dire condition—hanging head-down in a pit—and immediately questions their identity. This moment sets up the revelation that their fate is tied to his remaining unmarried/without offspring, prompting the ensuing discussion about marriage and continuation of the family line.