Shloka 39
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account Begins: Gādhi–Satyavatī–Ṛcīka and the Bhārgava Lineage Prelude
अथोवाच महातेजा भृगुः सत्यवतीं स्नुषाम् | उपयुक्तश्चरुर्भद्रे वृक्षे चालिड्रनं कृतम्,उस समय महातेजस्वी भृूगु अपनी पुत्रवधू सत्यवतीसे बोले--“भद्रे! तुमने जो चरुभक्षण और वृक्षोंका आलिड्रन किया है, उसमें उलट-फेर करके तुम्हारी माताने तुम्हें ठग लिया। सुभ्रू!][ इस भूलके कारण तुम्हारा पुत्र ब्राह्मण होकर भी क्षत्रियोचित आचार- विचारवाला होगा”
athovāca mahātejā bhṛguḥ satyavatīṃ snuṣām | upayuktaś carur bhadre vṛkṣe cālīḍranaṃ kṛtam ||
Then the mighty sage Bhṛgu said to his daughter-in-law Satyavatī: “O auspicious lady, the ritual porridge (caru) you consumed and the licking of the tree you performed have been tampered with—your mother has deceived you by reversing the intended procedure. Because of this mistake, your son, though a brāhmaṇa by birth, will display conduct and temperament befitting a kṣatriya.”
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights that ritual acts and moral choices have consequences: deception and improper alteration of a rite can redirect outcomes, and one’s future disposition may be shaped not only by birth but also by the conditions and intentions surrounding formative actions.
Sage Bhṛgu informs his daughter-in-law Satyavatī that her mother has reversed or tampered with the prescribed ritual actions—eating the caru and licking the tree—so the intended result has been altered; consequently, Satyavatī’s son will be a brāhmaṇa by birth yet exhibit kṣatriya-like behavior.