Shloka 20
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
वैषम्यं परम॑ प्राप्तो द:खितो गतचेतन: । भर्ता ते5हं निबोधेदं वचन हितमात्मन:,“मैं बड़ी विषम परिस्थितिमें पड़ गया हूँ। दुःखके मारे मेरी चेतना लुप्त-सी हो रही है। मैं तुम्हारा पति हूँ, अतः तुम्हारे हितकी बात बता रहा हूँ, इसे सुनो--
vaiṣamyaṃ paramaṃ prāpto duḥkhito gatacetanaḥ | bhartā te 'haṃ nibodhedaṃ vacanaṃ hitam ātmanaḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “I have fallen into the gravest adversity; crushed by sorrow, my awareness is as though slipping away. Yet I am your husband—so understand this: I speak words meant for your welfare. Listen.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid extreme distress, one should speak and accept counsel grounded in welfare (hita). The speaker invokes the ethical responsibility of a husband/protector (bhartā) to offer guidance aimed at the other’s good, not merely to vent grief.
Bṛhadaśva, overwhelmed by misfortune and sorrow, addresses his wife and prepares to give her advice. He frames his forthcoming words as beneficial counsel, appealing to his role as her husband and supporter.