Shloka 9
Somaka–Jantu Ākhyāna: Desire-Driven Sacrifice and Shared Karmic Consequence
तच्च लक्षणमस्यासीत् सौवर्ण पार्श्व उत्तरे । तस्मिन् पुत्रशते चाग्रय: स बभूव गुणैरपि,उसकी दाहिनी पसलीमें पूर्वोक्त सुनहरा चिह्न स्पष्ट दिखायी देता था। राजाके सौ पुत्रोमें अवस्था और गुणोंकी दृष्टिसे भी वही श्रेष्ठ था
tac ca lakṣaṇam asyāsīt sauvarṇa-pārśva uttare | tasmin putraśate cāgryaḥ sa babhūva guṇair api ||
Lomasha said: “That distinctive mark was visible on his upper right side, shining like gold. And among the king’s hundred sons, he proved to be the foremost—not only by age and precedence, but also by excellence of character and qualities.”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links true eminence to inner qualities (guṇa) rather than mere birth order: a visible sign may indicate distinction, but ethical worth and virtues are what finally establish someone as ‘foremost’.
Lomaśa describes a particular prince marked by a clearly visible golden sign on his upper right side, and states that among the king’s hundred sons this prince stood out as the best, both in precedence and in virtues.