Shloka 16
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स एवमुक्त: प्रत्युवाच जनमेजयं भो जनमेजय पुत्रो5यं मम सर्प्या जातो महातपस्वी स्वाध्याय-सम्पन्नो मत्तपोवीर्यसम्भूतो मच्छुक्रे पीतवत्यास्तस्या: कुक्षौ जात:,उनके ऐसा कहनेपर श्रुतश्रवाने जनमेजयको इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--“महाराज जनमेजय! मेरा यह पुत्र सोमश्रवा सर्पिणीके गर्भसे पैदा हुआ है। यह बड़ा तपस्वी और स्वाध्यायशील है। मेरे तपोबलसे इसका भरण-पोषण हुआ है। एक समय एक सर्पिणीने मेरा वीर्यपान कर लिया था, अत: उसीके पेटसे इसका जन्म हुआ है उत्तंकके ऐसा कहनेपर गुरुपत्नी उनसे बोलीं--“वत्स! तुम राजा पौष्यके यहाँ, उनकी क्षत्राणी पत्नीने जो दोनों कुण्डल पहन रखे हैं, उन्हें माँग लानेके लिये जाओ
sa evam uktaḥ pratyuvāca janamejayaṃ—bho janamejaya, putro ’yaṃ mama sarpyā jāto mahātapasvī svādhyāya-sampanno mat-tapo-vīrya-sambhūto mac-chukre pītavatyās tasyāḥ kukṣau jātaḥ.
Assim interpelado, respondeu a Janamejaya: “Ó Janamejaya, este filho meu nasceu de uma serpente fêmea. É um grande asceta, consumado no estudo sagrado, e foi gerado pela potência das minhas austeridades. Certa vez uma serpente fêmea bebeu o meu sêmen; por isso ele nasceu em seu ventre.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring idea that tapas (austerity) and svādhyāya (disciplined sacred study) generate spiritual potency and shape destiny, even in extraordinary birth circumstances. Ethical emphasis falls on recognizing inner merit—ascetic discipline and learning—over mere origin.
A person, having been questioned by King Janamejaya, explains the unusual origin of his son: the child was born from a she-serpent because she once drank his semen. He stresses that the son is a great ascetic and learned in sacred study, produced through the power of his austerities.