Shloka 75
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
स चापि निरनुक्रोश: क्षत्रयोनि: पिता तव | विश्वामित्रो ब्राह्मणत्वे लुब्ध: कामवशं गत:,और तुम्हारे क्षत्रियजातीय पिता विश्वामित्र भी, जो ब्राह्मण बननेके लिये लालायित थे और मेनकाको देखते ही कामके अधीन हो गये थे, बड़े निर्दयी जान पड़ते हैं
sa cāpi niranukrośaḥ kṣatrayoniḥ pitā tava | viśvāmitro brāhmaṇatve lubdhaḥ kāmavaśaṃ gataḥ ||
“And your father too—born in the Kṣatriya line—seems utterly without compassion: Viśvāmitra, greedy for the status of Brahminhood, fell under the sway of desire the moment he beheld Menakā.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical critique: even a great ascetic’s pursuit of spiritual status (brāhmaṇatva) can be undermined by unchecked desire (kāma). It implicitly contrasts true dharma—marked by self-control and compassion—with ambition and sensual weakness.
Duṣyanta speaks pointedly about Śakuntalā’s parentage, remarking that her father Viśvāmitra—though striving for Brahminhood—became overpowered by desire upon seeing Menakā, and thus appears ‘without compassion.’ The line functions as a sharp moral observation within the surrounding discussion of lineage and conduct.