Adhyaya 71 — The King’s Remorse and the Sage’s Counsel on the Necessity of a Wife
मम चासावतीवेष्टा प्राणेभ्योऽपि महामुने ।
सा च मां प्रति दुःशीला ब्रूहि यत्कारणं द्विज ॥
mama cāsāv atīveṣṭā prāṇebhyo 'pi mahāmune / sā ca māṃ prati duḥśīlā brūhi yat-kāraṇaṃ dvija
وهي عزيزة عليّ غاية العزّة—بل أعزّ من حياتي، أيها الحكيم العظيم—ومع ذلك فهي تقسو عليّ في معاملتها. فأخبرني، أيها البراهمن، ما سبب ذلك.
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Excessive attachment intensifies perceived cruelty; the text invites discerning inquiry into causes rather than being driven by rāga (clinging) and śoka (sorrow).
Carita with gṛhastha-dharma implications—how relational karma manifests within household life.
‘Dearer than life’ indicates prāṇa-bonding; when prāṇa is entangled with expectation, the relationship becomes a field where past saṃskāras (impressions) quickly surface as pain.