Shloka 14
आदि पर्व, अध्याय ३८ — शमीक-उपदेशः, शाप-संदेशः, तक्षक-प्रसङ्गः (Śamīka’s counsel, the curse-message, and Takṣaka’s approach)
देवा ऊचु: स मुनिप्रवरो ब्रह्मञ्जरत्कारुर्महातपा: । कस्यां पुत्र महात्मानं जनयिष्यति वीर्यवान्,देवताओंने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! वे मुनिशिरोमणि महातपस्वी शक्तिशाली जरत्कारु किसके गर्भसे अपने उस महात्मा पुत्रको उत्पन्न करेंगे?
devā ūcuḥ | sa munipravaro brahmañ jaratkārur mahātapāḥ | kasyāṃ putra mahātmānaṃ janayiṣyati vīryavān |
The gods said: “O Brahman, that foremost of sages, Jaratkāru—of great austerity and mighty potency—through which woman will he beget a noble, great-souled son?” In context, the question reflects a moral urgency: the welfare of many depends upon a righteous lineage arising through a proper, dharmic marriage and procreation.
शेष उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great ascetics may be called to fulfill dharma through household responsibilities when the larger good depends on it; righteous continuation of lineage can be an ethical duty, not merely a personal choice.
The gods, concerned about the future and the need for a worthy descendant, ask which woman will become the mother of Jaratkāru’s great-souled son, anticipating a crucial birth tied to broader cosmic and familial welfare.