Shloka 20
धर्मकामार्थसम्बन्धं न स्मरामि त्वया सह । गच्छ वा तिष्ठ वा कामं॑ यद् वापीच्छसि तत् कुरु,“तुम्हारे साथ मेरा धर्म, काम अथवा अर्थको लेकर वैवाहिक सम्बन्ध स्थापित हुआ है, इस बातका मुझे तनिक भी स्मरण नहीं है। तुम इच्छानुसार जाओ या रहो अथवा जैसी तुम्हारी रुचि हो, वैसा करो”
dharmakāmārthasambandhaṃ na smarāmi tvayā saha | gaccha vā tiṣṭha vā kāmaṃ yad vāpy icchasi tat kuru ||
Duṣyanta said: “I do not recall that any bond of dharma, desire, or worldly advantage was ever established between you and me. Go if you wish, stay if you wish—do whatever pleases you.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical failure: denying a relationship (and thus duty) by claiming lack of remembrance. It shows how speech can be used to evade dharma—rejecting accountability while offering the other party a hollow ‘freedom’ to go or stay.
Duṣyanta addresses a woman who asserts a prior marital/relational bond. He repudiates it, saying he remembers no connection of dharma, kāma, or artha with her, and dismisses her with ‘go or stay as you like,’ intensifying the conflict that drives the episode forward.