Shloka 40
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
पितृदेवमनुष्याणां यान्युक्तानि ऋणानि वै ।
तान्यपाकुरुते पुत्रो न शरीरप्रदः सुतः ॥
pitṛ-deva-manuṣyāṇāṃ yānyuktāni ṛṇāni vai / tānyapākurute putro na śarīrapradaḥ sutaḥ
祖霊・神々・人々に対して定められた負債のうち、それらを果たす者こそ真に「子」と呼ばれる。単に（父に）身体を与える者、すなわち生物学的な子にとどまる者ではない。
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FAQs
The verse defines ‘sonhood’ ethically rather than biologically: a child becomes a true putra by fulfilling the prescribed obligations—toward ancestors (pitṛ: through rites/continuity), toward gods (deva: through worship/yajña), and toward humans (manuṣya: through hospitality, charity, social responsibility). Mere birth or providing a body does not complete dharma; conduct and repayment of obligations do.
This verse aligns primarily with ‘Vamśānucarita’ (conduct of lineages) in the sense that it defines how lineage is sustained by dharmic performance, and secondarily with general dharma-upadeśa that often accompanies Purāṇic narration. It is not directly sarga/pratisarga/manvantara in content.
Esoterically, ‘debts’ symbolize the inescapable interconnectedness of embodied life: one’s body and station arise from ancestral continuity (pitṛ), cosmic order and powers (deva), and social interdependence (manuṣya). A ‘true son’ is the one who converts embodiment into purposeful dharma—transforming mere biological existence into a consciously maintained harmony with cosmos, lineage, and society.