Shloka 43
Viśvāmitra-janma: Ṛcīka–Satyavatī–Gādhi and the Charu Exchange (विश्वामित्र-जन्म: ऋचीक–सत्यवती–गाधि वृत्तान्तः)
प्रतिलभ्य च सा संज्ञां शिरसा प्रणिपत्य च | उवाच भार्या भर्तरें गाधेयी भार्गवर्षभम्
pratilabhya ca sā saṃjñāṃ śirasā praṇipatya ca | uvāca bhāryā bhartāraṃ gādheyī bhārgavarṣabham | brahmavettāśreṣṭha brahmarṣe ahaṃ tava bhāryā, ataḥ prasādaṃ yāce | anugṛhāṇa māṃ tathā yathā mama garbhāt kṣatriyaḥ putro na jāyeta ||
Nang magbalik ang kanyang ulirat, yumuko siya at nagpatirapa sa paanan ng kanyang asawa. Pagkaraan, si Gādheyī, anak ni Gādhi, ay nagsalita sa kanyang panginoong si Ṛcīka—ang pinakadakila sa angkan ng Bhṛgu—na nagsasabing: “O pinakamainam sa mga nakakabatid ng Brahman, O brahmarṣi! Ako’y iyong asawa; kaya’t ako’y namamanhik ng iyong biyaya. Maawa ka at ipagkaloob na mula sa aking sinapupunan ay huwag isilang ang isang anak na Kshatriya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight attributed to intention, lineage, and the perceived consequences of progeny, framed through humility and supplication: the wife seeks her husband-sage’s compassionate intervention, showing how personal desire is negotiated within dharma, social order (varṇa), and ascetic authority.
After recovering consciousness, Gādheyī bows to her husband Ṛcīka and petitions him for a boon: she asks that her pregnancy not result in a Kṣatriya (warrior-class) son, implying concern about the nature and disposition associated with such birth.