Shloka 7
Adhyaya 75 — Slaying of Mahishasura
ततो विषण्णमनसा ऋतवागिदमुक्तवान् ।
अपुत्रता मनुष्याणां श्रेयसे न कुपुत्रता ॥
tato viṣaṇṇa-manasā ṛtavāg idam uktavān | aputratā manuṣyāṇāṃ śreyase na kuputratā ||
แล้วฤตวาก ผู้มีใจหดหู่กล่าวว่า ‘เพื่อความผาสุกของมนุษย์ ความไร้บุตรยังประเสริฐกว่าได้บุตรชั่ว’
FAQs
The verse prioritizes quality of character over mere continuation of lineage. In dharma terms, progeny is a duty and blessing only when aligned with śīla; otherwise it becomes a source of pāpa and social harm.
Vaṃśānucarita with a didactic (nīti) insertion; still in service of Manvantara narration.
‘Son’ can be read as ‘one’s produced outcome’ (karma-phala). The teaching becomes: better to produce nothing than to produce harmful results—an inward warning about intention and ethical creativity.