Shloka 56
Adhyaya 69 — The King’s Neglect of His Wife and the Restoration of Dharma
राजोवाच किं कृतं हि मया ब्रह्मन् ! ज्ञानादज्ञानतोऽपि वा ।
येन त्वत्तोऽर्घमर्हामि नाहमभ्यागतश्चिरात् ॥
rājovāca kiṃ kṛtaṃ hi mayā brahman! jñānād ajñānato 'pi vā | yena tvatto 'rgham arhāmi nāham abhyāgataś cirāt ||
قال الملك: «يا براهمن، ماذا فعلتُ حقًّا—عن علمٍ أو حتى عن غير علم—حتى لا أستحق أن أتلقّى منك الأَرْغْيَا (ماء الإكرام المُقدَّم للضيف)؟ لقد جئتُ إليك بعد زمنٍ طويل».
FAQs
The king models accountability: he asks not only about deliberate wrongdoing but also negligent harm. Purāṇic ethics often treat ignorance as consequential, urging vigilance in dharma.
Dharma instruction via dialogue, embedded within Manvantara narrative. It advances the didactic arc leading to the specific fault and its karmic/ritual effect.
Approaching a sage ‘after a long time’ suggests delayed repentance. The question opens the door to prāyaścitta logic: recognition of fault is the first inner offering, preceding external ritual offerings.