Shloka 18
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
तपसा देवतेज्याभिवन्दनेन तितिक्षया । सुप्रशस्तैरुपायैश्वापीहन्ते पितर: सुतान्,माता-पिता तपस्या, देवपूजा, वन्दना, तितिक्षा तथा अन्य श्रेष्ठ उपायोंद्वारा भी पुत्रोंको प्राप्त करना चाहते हैं
tapasā devatejyābhivandanena titikṣayā | supraśastair upāyaiś cāpīhante pitaraḥ sutān |
Sinabi ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “Sa pamamagitan ng pag-aayuno at pagninilay (tapas), sa pagsamba sa mga diyos at mapitagang pagpupugay, at sa matiising pagtitiis—at sa iba pang mga paraang lubhang pinupuri—nagsisikap ang mga magulang na magtamo ng mga anak na lalaki.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that worthy ends—here, the desire for offspring—should be pursued through ethically praised disciplines: austerity (tapas), devotion and worship, reverence, and patient endurance, rather than through improper or harmful means.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing, in a didactic context, the traditional and commendable practices by which parents endeavor to gain children—highlighting spiritual effort, devotion, and moral restraint as socially approved paths.