Shloka 3
Setubandha-Niścaya (Decision for the Causeway) and Vānara-Senā Saṃniveśa — Bridge Strategy and Alliance Consolidation
एका हाहं सम्प्रति तेन वाचं ददामि वै भद्र निबोध चेदम् । अहं हारण्ये कथमेकमेका त्वामालपेयं निरता स्वधर्मे,“मैं इस समय यहाँ अकेली ही हूँ। इसलिये विवश होकर तुमसे बोलना पड़ रहा है। भद्रपुरुष! मेरी इस बातपर ध्यान दो। मैं अपने धर्मके पालनमें तत्पर रहनेवाली हूँ। इस समय इस वनमें मैं अकेली हूँ और तुम भी अकेले पुरुष हो, ऐसी दशामें मैं तुम्हारे साथ कैसे वार्तालाप कर सकती हूँ?
ekā hāhaṃ samprati tena vācaṃ dadāmi vai bhadra nibodha cedam | ahaṃ hāraṇye katham ekamekā tvām ālapeyaṃ niratā svadharme ||
“Alas, I am alone here at this moment; therefore, compelled by the situation, I must speak to you. Noble sir, attend to what I say. I am devoted to the observance of my own dharma. In this forest I am a lone woman, and you are a lone man—how, in such a circumstance, can I properly converse with you?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds svadharma and propriety: even when compelled to speak, one should remain mindful of ethical boundaries and social decorum, especially in situations that may invite suspicion or impropriety.
A woman, alone in the forest, finds herself compelled to address a lone man. She prefaces her speech by stressing her commitment to dharma and questioning how conversation is appropriate in such a solitary and potentially compromising setting.