Shloka 19
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
सो<थ श्रुत्वैव तद् वाक््यं तस्या राजा स्मरन्नपि । अब्रवीन्न स्मरामीति कस्य त्वं दुष्टतापसि,राजा दुष्यन्तने शकुन्तलाका यह वचन सुनकर सब बातोंको याद रखते हुए भी उससे इस प्रकार कहा--दुष्ट तपस्विनि! मुझे कुछ भी याद नहीं है। तुम किसकी स्त्री हो?
so 'tha śrutvaiva tad vākyaṃ tasyā rājā smarann api | abravīn na smarāmīti kasya tvaṃ duṣṭatāpasi ||
Als der König ihre Worte hörte—obwohl er sich in Wahrheit erinnerte—sprach er: „Ich erinnere mich nicht.“ Und er fügte hinzu: „Du böse Asketin, wessen Gattin bist du?“
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical failure of deliberate untruth: even a king, who should embody dharma, may succumb to denial and cruel speech to avoid accountability. It implicitly warns that power does not exempt one from moral duty; rather, it heightens the obligation to speak truth and act justly.
Śakuntalā has spoken to King Duṣyanta, reminding him of their relationship. Duṣyanta, despite remembering, publicly claims he does not remember and insults her, asking whose wife she is—setting up the conflict that will later be resolved through recognition and restoration of justice.