Shloka 20
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
दशवर्षसहस््त्राणि स जीवेत् स्थिरयौवन: । एतच्छुत्वा तु सा देवी नृपोत्तम सुमध्यमा
daśavarṣasahasrāṇi sa jīvet sthirayauvanaḥ | etac chrutvā tu sā devī nṛpottama sumadhyamā |
Dia akan hidup selama sepuluh ribu tahun, dengan keremajaan yang teguh dan tidak pudar. Mendengar hal itu, wanita ilahi yang berpinggang ramping itu pun menjawab, wahai raja yang terbaik.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power or benefit (like longevity from a sacred cow’s milk) becomes an ethical test: desire for gain must be restrained by dharma, especially regarding what belongs to a sage and is protected by tapas.
Dyau describes the divine cow of the sage Vasiṣṭha and declares that drinking her milk grants ten thousand years of life with unwaning youth; upon hearing this, his wife (the devī) reacts, setting up the ensuing desire-driven plot around obtaining the cow.