Shloka 15
शृङ्गिशापः—तक्षककाश्यपसंवादः (Śṛṅgī’s Curse and the Takṣaka–Kāśyapa Dialogue)
उग्रे तपसि वर्तन्ते पितरश्वोदयन्ति माम् । निविशस्वेति दु:खार्ता: संतानस्य चिकीर्षया,“मेरे पितर भयंकर कष्टमें पड़े हैं और दुःखसे आतुर हो संतान-प्राप्तिकी इच्छा रखकर मुझे प्रेरित कर रहे हैं कि 'तुम विवाह कर लो”
ugre tapasi vartante pitaraś codayanti mām | niviśasveti duḥkhārtāḥ santānasya cikīrṣayā ||
Takṣaka said: “My forefathers are engaged in severe austerity, and they urge me on. Afflicted by sorrow and longing for progeny, they press me, saying, ‘Settle into household life—marry.’”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of ancestral obligation: the continuity of lineage and the welfare of forefathers are presented as motives for entering household life and seeking progeny, framing marriage not merely as personal desire but as a duty linked to pitṛ-ṛṇa (debt to ancestors).
Takṣaka explains his situation: his ancestors, undergoing severe austerities and suffering due to the lack of descendants, urge him to ‘settle down’—i.e., to marry—so that progeny may be produced and the lineage continued.