Shloka 15
Ruru’s Lament and the Lifespan Exchange for Pramadvarā (रुरु–प्रमद्वरा आयुर्विभागः)
धर्मराज उवाच प्रमद्धरां रुरोर्भार्या देवदूत यदीच्छसि । उत्तिष्ठत्वायुषो<र्धेन रुरोरेव समन्विता,धर्मराज बोले--देवदूत! यदि तुम रुरुकी भार्या प्रमद्वराको जिलाना चाहते हो तो वह रुरुकी ही आधी आयुसे संयुक्त होकर जीवित हो उठे
Dharmarāja uvāca: Pramaddharāṃ Ruror bhāryāṃ devadūta yadīcchasi | Uttiṣṭhatv āyuṣo 'rdhena Ruroreva samanvitā ||
Dharmarāja said: “O divine messenger, if you wish to restore Pramadvarā, the wife of Ruru, then let her rise again to life—yet only by being joined with half of Ruru’s own lifespan.”
धर्मराज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life restored through dharma is not granted without moral cost: compassion is balanced by justice, and the remedy requires a proportional sacrifice—here, half of Ruru’s lifespan—highlighting responsibility and the ethical weight of reversing death.
Dharmarāja addresses a divine messenger and sets the condition for reviving Pramadvarā, Ruru’s wife: she may return to life only if she is sustained by half of Ruru’s own allotted lifespan, establishing the terms of a life-exchange.