Shloka 17

Devanagari script

धन्‍्या सा प्रमदा या त्वां पुत्र॒त्वे कल्पयिष्यति । यस्यास्त्वं तृषित: पुत्र सतनं पास्यसि देवज,देवपुत्र! वह रमणी धन्य है जो तुझे अपना पुत्र बनाकर पालेगी और तू भूख-प्यास लगनेपर जिसके स्तनोंका दूध पियेगा

Transliteration

dhanyā sā pramadā yā tvāṃ putratve kalpayiṣyati | yasyās tvaṃ tṛṣitaḥ putra stanam pāsyasi devaja devaputra ||

Translation

वैशंपायन म्हणाले—देवपुत्रा! जी स्त्री तुला पुत्र मानून वाढवील ती धन्य; आणि पुत्रा, तहान लागल्यावर तू जिच्या स्तनांचे दूध पिशील.

Word by Word

धन्याfortunate, blessed

साshe

प्रमदाwoman

याwho

त्वाम्you

पुत्रत्वेin/into sonship (as a son)

कल्पयिष्यतिwill make/consider (as)

यस्याःof whom/whose

त्वम्you

तृषितःthirsty

पुत्रO son

स-तनम्with the breast (i.e., breast-milk)

पास्यसिyou will drink

देवजO god-born one

देवपुत्रO son of a god

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

devaja (a divine-born child)

devaputra (divine child)

pramadā (a woman/mother figure)

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 praises the dharma of nurturing: the highest fortune is attributed to the woman who accepts responsibility for a vulnerable child, even one of extraordinary (divine) origin. It elevates caregiving and maternal protection as ethically meritorious.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a divine-born child who will be taken and raised as a son by a woman. He emphasizes the intimacy of maternal care—so fully will she mother him that, when thirsty, he will drink her breast-milk.