Shloka 24
Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)
सन्ति पुत्रा: सुबहवो दरिद्राणामनिच्छताम् । नास्ति पुत्र: समृद्धानां विचित्र विधिचेष्टितम्,जो दरिद्र हैं और संतानकी इच्छा नहीं रखते हैं, उनके तो बहुत-से पुत्र हो जाते हैं और जो धनवान हैं, उनमेंसे किसी-किसीको एक पुत्र भी नहीं प्राप्त होता। विधाताकी चेष्टा बड़ी विचित्र है
santi putrāḥ subahavo daridrāṇām anicchatām | nāsti putraḥ samṛddhānāṃ vicitra-vidhi-ceṣṭitam ||
सन्ति पुत्राः सुबहवो दरिद्राणामनिच्छताम् । नास्ति पुत्रः समृद्धानां विचित्रा विधिचेष्टितम् ॥
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly outcomes such as wealth and progeny do not reliably correspond to desire, effort, or even apparent merit; destiny operates in complex ways. The verse encourages humility, non-judgment, and a measure of detachment from external markers of success.
King Janaka is reflecting on the unpredictability of human fortunes. He points to a social observation—poor people may have many children despite not seeking them, while some rich people remain without a son—to illustrate the mysterious workings of fate (vidhi).