Shloka 6
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
स्त्रीस्वभावश्वलो लोके मम दोषश्नल दारुण: । स्यादेवमपि कुर्यात् सा विवासाद् गतसौहदा,“तपस्विनी एवं दीन विदर्भराजकुमारीको मुझ नीच एवं पापबुद्धि पुरुषने धोखा दिया है, इसीलिये वह ऐसा निष्ठछुर कार्य करनेको उद्यत हो गयी। संसारमें स्त्रीका चंचल स्वभाव प्रसिद्ध है। मेरा अपराध भी भयंकर है। सम्भव है मेरे प्रवाससे उसका हार्दिक स्नेह कम हो गया हो, अतः वह ऐसा भी कर ले
bṛhadaśva uvāca | strīsvabhāvaś calo loke mama doṣaś ca dāruṇaḥ | syād evam api kuryāt sā vivāsād gata-sauhṛdā ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “In this world a woman’s nature is known to be fickle; and my own fault is grievous indeed. It may be that, with my long absence, her heartfelt affection has waned—therefore she might even commit such a harsh deed.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability and the danger of rationalizing harm: the speaker acknowledges his own grave fault and recognizes how neglect/absence can erode trust, even while reflecting common social stereotypes about women’s fickleness.
Bṛhadaśva comments on a tense marital situation, reasoning that because of his prolonged absence and wrongdoing, the woman’s affection may have diminished, making her capable of a severe act.