Shloka 25
आस्तीक-उपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः | Introduction to the Āstīka Narrative
न हि धर्मफलैस्तात न तपोभि: सुसंचितै: । तां गतिं प्राप्तुवन्तीह पुत्रिणो यां व्रजन्ति वै,तात! पुत्रवाले मनुष्य इस लोकमें जिस उत्तम गतिको प्राप्त होते हैं, उसे अन्य लोग धर्मानुकूल फल देनेवाले भलीभाँति संचित किये हुए तपसे भी नहीं पाते
na hi dharmaphalais tāta na tapobhiḥ susaṃcitaiḥ | tāṃ gatiṃ prāptum avantīha putriṇo yāṃ vrajanti vai ||
Śaunaka said: “Dear child, in this world that exalted state which men blessed with sons attain is not reached by others even through the merit-bearing fruits of dharma, nor even by austerities amassed in great abundance.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the householder ideal by asserting that the ‘excellent gati’ associated with having sons (continuity of lineage and performance of familial rites) is portrayed as a distinctive attainment—one that others do not reach merely through accumulated merit from dharma or even through extensive austerities.
Śaunaka, speaking in the frame dialogue, emphasizes the exceptional value traditionally attributed to being ‘putrī’ (having a son). He contrasts this with other respected paths—ritual merit and ascetic tapas—underscoring a social-ethical viewpoint prevalent in the epic’s discourse on dharma.