Shloka 12
अक्षहृदय-विद्या-प्रदानम्
Transmission of Akṣa-hṛdaya; Kali’s Exit and the Bibhītaka Refuge
सत्कृतासत्कृता वापि पतिं दृष्टवा तथागतम् | भ्रष्टराज्यं श्रिया हीन॑ क्षुधितं व्यसनाप्लुतम्,“पतिने उसका सत्कार किया हो या असत्कार--उसे चाहिये कि पतिको वैसे संकटमें पड़ा देखकर उसे क्षमा कर दे; क्योंकि वह राज्य और लक्ष्मीसे वंचित हो भूखसे पीड़ित एवं विपत्तिके अथाह सागरमें डूबा हुआ था”
satkṛtāsatkṛtā vāpi patiṁ dṛṣṭvā tathāgatam | bhraṣṭarājyaṁ śriyā hīnaṁ kṣudhitaṁ vyasanāplutam ||
Whether she had honored him before or slighted him, on seeing her husband returned in such a condition—fallen from his kingdom, bereft of prosperity, tormented by hunger, and overwhelmed by calamity—she ought to forgive him.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should practice kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness) and compassion when someone—especially one’s spouse—has been brought low by loss, hunger, and calamity; misfortune calls for empathy rather than reproach.
Bṛhadaśva states a moral instruction within the Vana-parvan narrative: seeing the husband return ruined and distressed, the wife should set aside prior grievances (whether she had honored or insulted him) and forgive him because he is overwhelmed by adversity.