Shloka 13
परिक्षिद्वृत्तान्तप्रश्नः
Inquiry into Parīkṣit’s Conduct and the Beginnings of His Downfall
अस्ति नस्तात तपस: फल प्रवदतां वर । संतानप्रक्षयाद् ब्रह्मनू पताम निरयेडशुचौ,तात! तपस्याका बल तो हमारे पास भी है। वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मग! हम तो वंशपरम्पराका विच्छेद होनेके कारण अपवित्र नरकमें गिर रहे हैं
asti nas tāta tapasaḥ phalaṃ pravadatāṃ vara | santāna-prakṣayād brahman patāma niraye 'śucau ||
Takṣaka disse: “Ó querido, ó o melhor entre os oradores, diz-nos qual é o fruto da austeridade. Pois, ó brāhmane, como a nossa linhagem está sendo cortada e a nossa descendência perece, estamos caindo num inferno impuro.”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames tapas (austerity) as morally consequential and asks about its true ‘fruit’ in a crisis where the destruction of one’s lineage is felt as a fall into impurity and suffering. It highlights anxiety about responsibility, continuity, and the karmic/ethical weight of actions that threaten progeny and social order.
Takṣaka addresses a brāhmaṇa renowned for speech and asks him to explain the benefit of austerity. He laments that due to the destruction of their progeny/lineage, they are being driven toward an ‘impure hell,’ expressing fear and urgency amid a situation of existential and moral collapse.