Shloka 24
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
सा मुहूर्तमिव ध्यात्वा दुःखामर्षसमन्विता । भर्तारमभिसप्प्रेक्ष्य क्ुद्धा वचनमब्रवीत्,वह दो घड़ीतक कुछ सोच-विचार-सा करती रही, फिर दुःख और अमर्षमें भरकर पतिकी ओर देखती हुई क्रोधपूर्वक बोली--“महाराज! आप जान-बूझकर भी दूसरे-दूसरे निम्न कोटिके मनुष्योंकी भाँति निःशंक होकर ऐसी बात क्यों कहते हैं कि “मैं नहीं जानता”
sā muhūrtam iva dhyātvā duḥkhāmarṣa-samanvitā | bhartāram abhisamprekṣya kruddhā vacanam abravīt ||
After reflecting for a moment, she—filled with sorrow and indignant resentment—looked straight at her husband and, in anger, spoke. The scene underscores a moral protest: a wife confronts a king’s evasive denial (“I do not know”), treating it as willful falsehood unworthy of a righteous ruler.
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (and spouse) should not resort to evasive denial or deliberate untruth; such conduct violates dharma and invites rightful moral indignation from those wronged.
The woman pauses to collect her thoughts, then—overcome by grief and offended pride—turns to her husband and angrily begins her reply, challenging his claim of ignorance as intentional and dishonorable.