Shloka 17
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 47 — Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra: Vow, Preparation, and the Onset of the Serpent Offering
कि नु मे सुकृतं भूयाद् भर्तुरुत्थापनं न वा । दुःखशीलो हि धर्मात्मा कथं नास्यापराध्नुयाम्,ब्रह्म! दिन समाप्त होने ही वाला था। अतः वासुकिकी मनस्विनी बहिन जरत्कारु अपने पतिके धर्मलोपसे भयभीत हो उस समय इस प्रकार सोचने लगी--“इस समय पतिको जगाना मेरे लिये अच्छा (धर्मानुकूल) होगा या नहीं? मेरे धर्मात्मा पतिका स्वभाव बड़ा दुःखद है। मैं कैसा बर्ताव करूँ, जिससे उनकी दृष्टिमें अपराधिनी न बनूँ
ki nu me sukṛtaṃ bhūyād bhartur utthāpanaṃ na vā | duḥkhaśīlo hi dharmātmā kathaṃ nāsyāparādhnu yām, brahman |
She reflected: “What course would be truly meritorious for me now—should I wake my husband, or should I not? He is righteous at heart, yet of a sorrowful and sensitive disposition. O Brahman, how can I act so that I do not incur offense in his eyes?”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as situational discernment: even a seemingly simple act (waking someone) must be weighed for merit and harm, with care to avoid causing offense while honoring duty.
A wife faces a time-sensitive dilemma and debates whether to wake her husband; she fears that either choice could be seen as a fault, because he is righteous yet emotionally sensitive.