Shloka 7
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
अजराणामदुः:खानां शतवर्षसहस्रिणाम् । लब्धं पुत्रशतं शर्वात् पुरा पाण्डुनूपात्मज
ajarāṇām aduḥkhānāṁ śatavarṣa-sahasriṇām | labdhaṁ putraśataṁ śarvāt purā pāṇḍunṛpātmaja ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi con của vua Pāṇḍu, thuở xưa ta đã nhận từ Śarva (Śiva) một trăm người con—không già nua, không khổ đau—mỗi người đều có thọ mệnh một trăm nghìn năm.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata theme that intense devotion and austerity directed toward a deity can yield extraordinary results, yet such gifts (like progeny and longevity) are framed as boons granted by divine will rather than mere human entitlement—encouraging humility and dharmic orientation in seeking blessings.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (son of Pāṇḍu) and recounts a past event: he received from Śiva (called Śarva) a boon of one hundred sons characterized as ageless, free from suffering, and extraordinarily long-lived.