Shloka 18
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
तपसा देवतेज्याभिवन्दनेन तितिक्षया । सुप्रशस्तैरुपायैश्वापीहन्ते पितर: सुतान्,माता-पिता तपस्या, देवपूजा, वन्दना, तितिक्षा तथा अन्य श्रेष्ठ उपायोंद्वारा भी पुत्रोंको प्राप्त करना चाहते हैं
tapasā devatejyābhivandanena titikṣayā | supraśastair upāyaiś cāpīhante pitaraḥ sutān |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “By austerity, by worship of the gods and reverent salutations, and by patient endurance—indeed, by other highly praised means as well—parents strive to obtain sons.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that worthy ends—here, the desire for offspring—should be pursued through ethically praised disciplines: austerity (tapas), devotion and worship, reverence, and patient endurance, rather than through improper or harmful means.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing, in a didactic context, the traditional and commendable practices by which parents endeavor to gain children—highlighting spiritual effort, devotion, and moral restraint as socially approved paths.