Shloka 17
Umā’s Inquiry and the Manifestation of the Third Eye (उमा–प्रश्नः तृतीयनेत्रोत्पत्तिः)
यदि मेरे पति किसी आवश्यक कार्यवश कभी परदेश जाते तो मैं नियमसे रहकर उनके कल्याणके लिये नाना प्रकारके मांगलिक कार्य किया करती थी ।।
ajjanaṃ rocanāṃ caiva snānaṃ mālyānulepanam | prasādhanaṃ ca niṣkrānte nābhinandāmi bhartari ||
قال بهيشما: «إذا غاب زوجي عن البيت، لم أجد لذّةً في الزينة: لا كُحلًا للعينين، ولا علامةَ gorocanā على الجبين، ولا اغتسالًا بالزيت، ولا أكاليلَ زهر، ولا أدهانًا عطرة، ولا أيَّ تزيّن. وفي غيبته كنتُ ألتزم الكفَّ والانضباط، وأقيم الطقوس المباركة رجاءَ سلامته وخيره.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined restraint and loyalty: in a husband’s absence, a wife refrains from personal adornment and instead maintains vows and performs auspicious acts directed toward his welfare—an ethic of self-control and devotion within household dharma.
Bhishma, while instructing on conduct and duties, cites a model of wifely behavior: when the husband is away, she does not indulge in beautification (kohl, tilaka, oil-bath, garlands, perfumes, ornamentation), emphasizing modesty and concern for his well-being.