Shloka 60

Devanagari script

पितोवाच अपि वर्षसहस्त्री त्वं बाल एव मतो मम । उत्पाद्य पुत्र हि पिता कृतकृत्यो भवेत्‌ सुतात्‌,पिताने कहा--बेटा! तुम हजार वर्षके हो जाओ तो भी हमारे लिये बालक ही हो। पिता पुत्रको जन्म देकर ही उससे अपनेको कृतकृत्य मानता है

Transliteration

pitovāca api varṣa-sahasrī tvaṃ bāla eva mato mama | utpādya putra hi pitā kṛta-kṛtyo bhavet sutāt ||

Translation

父は言った。「たとえお前が千年生きようとも、私にとってはなお幼子にすぎぬ。父というものは、ただ息子をもうけたそのことによって、務めを果たし尽くしたと満ち足りるのだ。」

Word by Word

पिताfather

उवाचsaid

अपिeven/also

वर्ष-सहस्त्रीa thousand-years-old

त्वम्you

बालःa child

एवindeed/only

मतःconsidered/thought

ममof me / my

उत्पाद्यhaving produced/begotten

पुत्रम्a son

हिindeed/for

पिताthe father

कृत-कृत्यःone who has accomplished his duty

भवेत्would become

सुतात्from/through a son

Speaker

पुत्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

father

son

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the enduring parental perspective and the dharmic ideal that begetting and raising a son is traditionally seen as a father’s life-purpose being fulfilled; the child remains ‘a child’ in the father’s eyes regardless of age.

What is happening in the narrative?

A father addresses his son affectionately and instructively, emphasizing that even great age does not change the son’s status as his child, and stating that fatherhood finds its completion in the birth of a son.