Shloka 25
सूर्य उवाच साधयिष्यामि सुश्रोणि पुत्र वै जनयिष्यसि । सर्वशस्त्रभृतां श्रेष्ठ कन्या चैव भविष्यसि,सूर्यने कहा--सुन्दरी! मैं ऐसी चेष्टा करूँगा, जिससे तुम समस्त शशस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ पुत्रको जन्म दोगी और कन्या ही बनी रहोगी
sūrya uvāca sādhayiṣyāmi suśroṇi putraṃ vai janayiṣyasi | sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ kanyā caiva bhaviṣyasi ||
Surya said: “O fair-hipped maiden, I shall bring it to pass: you will indeed give birth to a son, the foremost among all bearers of weapons, and yet you will remain a maiden.” In the ethical frame of the episode, the god offers a boon that preserves the girl’s social and moral standing while still granting extraordinary progeny—an attempt to reconcile desire, responsibility, and reputation.
सूर्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension between extraordinary divine gifts and the preservation of a young woman’s honor. Surya frames his boon as a way to grant heroic offspring while safeguarding her social and moral status, showing how boons in the epic often come with ethical and reputational stakes.
Surya addresses the maiden (traditionally Kunti in this episode) and promises that she will bear a son who will be the greatest among weapon-wielders, yet she will remain a maiden. This sets up the miraculous birth motif central to the later emergence of a great warrior.