Shloka 21
Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment
सावित्रयुवाच यत्र मे नीयते भर्ता स्वयं वा यत्र गच्छति । मया च तत्र गन्तव्यमेष धर्म: सनातन:,सावित्रीने कहा--जहाँ मेरे पति ले जाये जाते हैं अथवा ये स्वयं जहाँ जा रहे हैं, वहीं मुझे भी जाना चाहिये; यही सनातन धर्म है
sāvitrī uvāca yatra me nīyate bhartā svayaṃ vā yatra gacchati | mayā ca tatra gantavyam eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Sāvitrī sagte: „Wohin mein Gemahl auch geführt wird oder wohin er aus eigenem Willen geht — dorthin muss auch ich gehen. Das ist das ewige Gesetz des Dharma.“
यम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts steadfast adherence to dharma as loyal accompaniment: a wife’s commitment is to remain with her husband in all circumstances, presenting this fidelity as an eternal moral principle (sanātana-dharma).
In the Savitri episode, as Yama leads away her husband’s life, Sāvitrī declares that wherever her husband is taken or goes, she must follow—establishing her right to accompany him and setting the ethical ground for her continued dialogue with Yama.