Shloka 110
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
भस्त्रा माता पितु: पुत्रो येन जात: स एव सः
bhastrā mātā pituḥ putro yena jātaḥ sa eva saḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: “The mother is but a bellows; the father’s son is he by whom he is truly begotten—he alone is the real son.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a lineage ethic that privileges paternity: it frames the mother as a mere instrument (like a bellows) and identifies the ‘true son’ as the one who is begotten by the father. It reflects a patriarchal conception of identity and inheritance in the epic’s social discourse.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a pointed maxim is stated to emphasize how ‘sonship’ and descent are being defined in the surrounding discussion—highlighting the primacy given to the father’s role in determining lineage and rightful status.