Shloka 22
इन्द्रवृत्रयुद्धवर्णनम्
Indra–Vṛtra Conflict and the Adversaries’ Tapas-Targeting Counsel
लोपामुद्रोवाच सहस्नसम्मित: पुत्र एको<प्यस्तु तपोधन । एको हि बहुभि: श्रेयान् विद्वान् साधुरसाधुभि:,लोपामुद्रा बोली--तपोधन! मुझे सहस्रोंकी समानता करनेवाला एक ही श्रेष्ठ पुत्र प्राप्त हो; क्योंकि बहुत-से दुष्ट पुत्रोंकी अपेक्षा एक ही विद्दान् एवं श्रेष्ठ पुत्र उत्तम माना गया है
lopāmudrovāca sahasra-sammitāḥ putra eko 'py astu tapodhana | eko hi bahubhiḥ śreyān vidvān sādhuḥ asādhubhiḥ ||
Lopāmudrā said: “O ascetic rich in austerity, let me have even a single son who is equal to a thousand. For one wise and virtuous son is truly better than many sons who are unworthy.”
अगस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Quality outweighs quantity: a single wise and virtuous child is preferable to many children lacking character. The verse frames progeny as valuable when aligned with learning and goodness (sādhu, vidvān), not merely by number.
In the dialogue involving Agastya and Lopāmudrā, Lopāmudrā expresses her wish regarding offspring: she asks for one exceptional son—worth a thousand—emphasizing virtue and wisdom as the true measure of a worthy heir.