Shloka 12
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
प्रजायते सुतान् नार्यो दुःखेन महता विभो । पुष्णन्ति चापि महता स्नेहेन द्विजपुज्रव,“भगवन्! अपनेको भारी प्राणसंकटमें डालकर और अतुल वेदनाको सहकर नारियाँ बड़े कष्टसे संतान उत्पन्न करती हैं! विप्रवर! फिर बड़े स्नेहले उनका पालन भी करती हैं
prajāyate sutān nāryo duḥkhena mahatā vibho | puṣṇanti cāpi mahatā snehena dvijapuṅgava ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O mighty one, women bring forth sons only through great suffering. And, O best of Brahmins, they then nourish and raise them with immense affection.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of motherhood: childbirth involves intense suffering, and yet mothers sustain children with deep love. It implicitly calls for gratitude, respect, and ethical regard toward women and mothers within dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, states a general truth about women bearing and raising children, addressing a powerful listener (“vibho”) and a foremost Brahmin (“dvijapuṅgava”), likely to support a broader discussion on duty, gratitude, or proper conduct.