Shloka 19
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
ऋषेस्तस्य वरारोहे यस्येदं वनमुत्तमम् | अस्या: क्षीरं पिबेन्मर्त्य: स्वादु यो वै सुमध्यमे
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ṛṣes tasya varārohe yasyedaṃ vanam uttamam |
asyāḥ kṣīraṃ pibed martyaḥ svādu yo vai sumadhyame ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—वरारोहे, ऋषेस्तस्येदमुत्तमं वनम्। सुमध्यमे, अस्या गव्या मधुरं क्षीरं यो मर्त्यः पिबेत्, स दशवर्षसहस्राणि जीवेत्, तावच्च स्थिरयौवनः स्यात्॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the sanctity of a sage’s āśrama and possessions: extraordinary benefits (like longevity) are linked to sacred beings and their domains, implying that desire for such boons must be governed by restraint and respect for dharma.
A speaker identifies the forest as belonging to a particular sage and states that the cow associated with that place has sweet milk granting a mortal ten thousand years of life with sustained youth—setting up the temptation and ensuing ethical tension around obtaining such a miraculous resource.