Mahabharata 1.101.28 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 101, Shloka 28
Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna
The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura
जातमात्र पुरा दृष्टवा त॑ पुत्र शान्तनुस्तदा । नोपलेभे स्मृतिं धीमानभिज्ञातुं तमात्मजम्
jātamātraṃ purā dṛṣṭvā taṃ putra śāntanustadā | nopalebhe smṛtiṃ dhīmān abhijñātuṃ tam ātmajam ||
जातमात्रं पुरा दृष्ट्वा तं पुत्रं शान्तनुस्तदा । नोपलेभे स्मृतिं धीमानभिज्ञातुं तमात्मजम् ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that wisdom alone does not guarantee right recognition; when memory and knowledge are disrupted by time or circumstance, even natural relationships (like father and son) can become obscured. It implicitly stresses the ethical importance of clear knowledge (jñāna) and reliable remembrance (smṛti) in fulfilling one’s familial and royal duties.
Vaiśampāyana explains that King Śāntanu had seen the child only at birth long ago, and therefore, at the present moment of encounter, he fails to recall and recognize him as his own son.
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