दमयन्त्याः कार्यनिश्चयः — Damayantī’s Crisis Plan and Vārṣṇeya’s Departure
यत् त्वं भजसि कल्याणि पुमांसं देवसंनिधौ । तस्मान्मां विद्धि भर्तारमेवं ते वचने रतम्,“कल्याणी! तुम देवताओंके समीप जो मुझ-जैसे पुरुषका वरण कर रही हो, इस अलौकिक अनुरागके कारण अपने इस पतिको तुम सदा अपनी प्रत्येक आज्ञाके पालनमें तत्पर समझो
bṛhadaśva uvāca | yat tvaṃ bhajasi kalyāṇi pumāṃsaṃ devasaṃnidhau | tasmān māṃ viddhi bhartāram evaṃ te vacane ratam ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O auspicious lady, since you choose a man like me in the very presence of the gods, know me as your husband; and know this too—that I shall be devoted to carrying out your words.”
बृहदश्व उवाच
A commitment made under divine witness carries moral weight: the speaker accepts the role of husband and explicitly vows attentiveness and obedience to the wife’s expressed wishes, framing marriage as responsibility and faithful conduct.
Bṛhadaśva, speaking within a story context, responds to an auspicious woman who has chosen him in the presence of the gods; he acknowledges the choice as establishing the marital bond and promises to be devoted to fulfilling her commands.