Shloka 4

सोमक–जन्तु उपाख्यानम्

Somaka–Jantu Exemplar: The Quest for a Hundred Sons

Devanagari script

कदाचित्‌ तस्य वृद्धस्य घटमानस्य यत्नतः । जन्तुर्नाम सुतस्तस्मिन्‌ स्त्रीशते समजायत,राजा सोमक वृद्धावस्थामें भी इसके लिये निरन्तर यत्नशील थे; अत: किसी समय उनकी सौ स्ट्रियोंमेंसे किसी एकके गर्भसे एक पुत्र उत्पन्न हुआ, जिसका नाम था जन्तु

Transliteration

kadācit tasya vṛddhasya ghaṭamānasya yatnataḥ | janturnāma sutas tasmin strīśate samajāyata ||

Translation

Isang araw, habang ang matandang hari ay patuloy na nagsisikap nang buong lakas, may isang anak na lalaki na isinilang sa gitna ng sandaang asawa niya. Ang bata ay pinangalanang Jantu.

Word by Word

कदाचित्at some time, once

तस्यof him

वृद्धस्यof the old (man)

घटमानस्यof (him) striving/endeavoring

यत्नतःwith effort, diligently

जन्तुःJantu (name of the son)

नामby name, named

सुतःa son

तस्मिन्in him / in that (context: in his household/line)

स्त्रीशतेamong (his) hundred women

समजायतwas born, came into being

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

Somaka (king, implied by context)

Jantu

the hundred wives (strīśata)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the powerful drive for lineage and the persistence of human effort; it also invites ethical reflection on how intense desire for an heir can shape royal decisions and family life.

What is happening in the narrative?

An aged king, still striving to obtain a son, finally has a child born among his hundred wives; the newborn is named Jantu.