Shloka 23
यच्च कुर्यान्न तत् कर्म सा प्रष्टव्या त्वयानघ । मन्नियोगाद् भजन्तीं तां भजेथा इत्युवाच तम्,“अनघ! वह जो कार्य करे, उसके विषयमें भी तुम्हें कुछ पूछताछ नहीं करनी चाहिये। यदि वह तुम्हें चाहे, तो मेरी आज्ञासे उसे अपनी पत्नी बना लेना।' ये बातें राजा प्रतीपने अपने पुत्रसे कहीं
yac ca kuryān na tat karma sā praṣṭavyā tvayānagha | manniyogād bhajantīṁ tāṁ bhajethā ity uvāca tam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O blameless one, whatever she may do, you should not question her about that act. If she chooses you, then by my command you should accept her as your wife.” Thus King Pratīpa spoke these words to his son, setting a rule of conduct grounded in restraint, trust, and obedience to paternal authority.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes disciplined restraint and trust within a divinely charged or fated relationship: the son is instructed not to interrogate the woman’s actions, and to accept her as wife only if she herself chooses him, under the father’s injunction—highlighting obedience, self-control, and the ethical weight of promises.
King Pratīpa instructs his son (Śāntanu, in context) about a mysterious woman (Gaṅgā, in context): he must not question her deeds, and if she desires him, he should marry her by the king’s command. This sets up the later episode where Śāntanu accepts conditions in marriage and maintains silence despite troubling events.