Shloka 19
आस्तीक-उपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः | Introduction to the Āstīka Narrative
अस्माकं संततिस्त्वेको जरत्कारुरिति स्मृत: । मन्दभाग्यो5ल््पभाग्यानां तप एव समास्थित:,हमारी एक संतति बच गयी है, जिसका नाम है जरत्कारु। हम भाग्यहीनोंकी वह अभागी संतान केवल तपस्यामें ही संलग्न है
asmākaṁ santatis tv eko jaratkārur iti smṛtaḥ | mandabhāgyo ’lpabhāgyānāṁ tapa eva samāsthitaḥ ||
Śaunaka disse: «Da nossa linhagem, resta apenas um descendente, lembrado pelo nome de Jaratkāru. Desafortunado—nascido entre os de pouca sorte—ele se firmou apenas na austeridade.»
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between ascetic renunciation (tapas) and the responsibility of sustaining one’s lineage—an ethical concern in the Mahābhārata where personal spiritual pursuit can conflict with duties toward family and ancestors.
Śaunaka informs the listeners that only one descendant of their line remains—Jaratkāru—and that he lives devoted solely to austerities, implying anxiety about the continuation of the family line.