Shloka 114
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
नाहं दद्यां प्रियं पुत्र मम प्राणैर्गरीयसम् । समय: क्रियतामेष न शक््यमतिवर्तितुम्,“मेरा पुत्र मुझे अपने प्राणोंसे भी अधिक प्रिय है, अतः मैं इसे अधिक दिनोंके लिये नहीं दे सकता। इसलिये मृत्युलोकमें इसके रहनेकी कोई अवधि निश्चित कर दी जाय। फिर उस अवधिका उल्लंघन नहीं किया जा सकता
nāhaṃ dadyāṃ priyaṃ putra mama prāṇair garīyasam | samayaḥ kriyatām eṣa na śakyam ativartitum ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “My dear son is more precious to me than my own life; therefore I cannot give him away for many days. Let a fixed term be set for his stay in the world of mortals—once agreed, that limit cannot be transgressed.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even intense personal attachment must operate within dharma: if something must be given or permitted, it should be bounded by a clear, mutually accepted samaya (stipulated term). Once a condition is set, ethical integrity requires that it not be violated.
The speaker refuses to part with his beloved son for an extended period, insisting instead on fixing a definite duration for the son’s stay in the mortal world, emphasizing that the agreed limit is binding and cannot be exceeded.