Shloka 5
Śukra’s Ultimatum and Devayānī’s Demand (शुक्र-प्रतिज्ञा तथा देवयानी-वर-याचना)
तेभ्य: प्राचेतसो जज्ञे दक्षो दक्षादिमा: प्रजा: । सम्भूता: पुरुषव्याप्र स हि लोकपितामह:,धन्यं यशस्यमायुष्यं कीर्तयिष्यामि तेडनघ । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--निष्पाप जनमेजय! अब मैं दक्ष प्रजापति, वैवस्वत मनु, भरत, कुरु, पूर, अजमीढ, यादव, कौरव तथा भरतवंशियोंकी कुल-परम्पराका तुमसे वर्णन करूँगा। उनका कुल परम पवित्र, महान् मंगलकारी तथा धन, यश और आयुकी प्राप्ति करानेवाला है उक्त दस प्रचेताओंद्वारा (मारिषाके गर्भसे) प्राचेतस दक्षका जन्म हुआ तथा दक्षसे ये समस्त प्रजाएँ उत्पन्न हुई हैं। नरश्रेष्ठ! वे सम्पूर्ण जगत्के पितामह हैं
tebhyaḥ prācetaso jajñe dakṣo dakṣād imāḥ prajāḥ | sambhūtāḥ puruṣavyāghra sa hi lokapitāmahaḥ | dhanyaṃ yaśasyam āyuṣyaṃ kīrtayiṣyāmi te ’nagha |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Daqueles (os dez Pracetas) nasceu Prācetasa Dakṣa; e de Dakṣa vieram estes seres (as diversas criaturas e povos). Ó tigre entre os homens, ele é de fato o avô dos mundos. Ó irrepreensível, eu te narrarei uma linhagem auspiciosa, doadora de fama e propícia a uma longa vida”—introduzindo assim a tradição genealógica sagrada que enquadra as origens de povos e dinastias como herança moral e cosmológica.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames genealogy as sacred knowledge: recounting origins and lineages is presented as auspicious (dhanya), fame-giving (yaśasya), and life-promoting (āyuṣya). It implies that remembering righteous ancestry and cosmic progenitors supports social order and moral continuity.
Vaiśampāyana addresses King Janamejaya and transitions into a genealogical account. He states that Dakṣa, called Prācetasa, was born from the Pracetases, and that from Dakṣa the various beings/progeny arose, identifying Dakṣa as a universal progenitor (lokapitāmaha).