Shloka 59
Kapālamocana-tīrtha (Auśanasa) and Balarāma’s Sarasvatī Pilgrimage
एतन्मड्कणकस्यापि चरितं भूरितेजस: । स हि पुत्र: सुकन्यायामुत्पन्नो मातरिश्वना,यह महातेजस्वी मंकणक मुनिका चरित्र बताया गया है। वे वायुके औरस पुत्र थे। वायुदेवताने सुकन्याके गर्भसे उन्हें उत्पन्न किया था
etan maṅkaṇakasya api caritaṃ bhūritejasaḥ | sa hi putraḥ sukanyāyām utpanno mātariśvanā |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Inilah juga riwayat resi Maṅkaṇaka yang berteja besar dan bercahaya. Dia lahir sebagai putera dalam rahim Sukanyā, diperanakkan oleh Mātariśvan (Vāyu).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse signals that extraordinary spiritual power and unusual life-events are often presented in the Mahābhārata as moral exempla: a sage’s conduct (carita) is worth recounting because it illustrates how tapas, lineage/origin, and ethical restraint (or its lapse) can shape consequences.
Vaiśampāyana introduces the episode of the sage Maṅkaṇaka, identifying him as immensely radiant and stating his parentage: he was born in Sukanyā through Mātariśvan (Vāyu). This serves as a narrative preface to the fuller account of Maṅkaṇaka’s deeds.