Shloka 13
चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas
उद्विग्नस्य कुत: शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम् । न जातु वशगो भर्ता स्त्रिया: स्यान्मन्त्रकर्मणा,“उद्विग्नको शान्ति कैसी? और अशान्तको सुख कहाँ? अतः मन्त्र-तन्त्र करनेसे पति अपनी पत्नीके वशमें कदापि नहीं हो सकता
udvignasya kutaḥ śāntir aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham | na jātu vaśago bhartā striyāḥ syān mantrakarmaṇā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “How can one who is agitated find peace, and how can one who lacks peace find happiness? Therefore, by spells and ritual contrivances a husband can never truly be brought under a wife’s control.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Peace and happiness depend on inner composure; agitation and unrest cannot yield well-being. The verse also rejects the idea that external magical or ritual means can legitimately subdue another’s will—especially within marriage—implying that harmony must arise from dharmic conduct and self-mastery rather than coercion.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a reflective maxim within the Vana Parva discourse, emphasizing the psychological basis of peace and critiquing attempts to control relationships through mantra-rituals. It functions as moral instruction embedded in the ongoing narration.