न खाद मम भर्त्तारं प्राणात्प्रियतमं प्रभो । आर्त्तानां शरणार्त्तानां त्वमेव हि यतो गतिः
na khāda mama bharttāraṃ prāṇātpriyatamaṃ prabho | ārttānāṃ śaraṇārttānāṃ tvameva hi yato gatiḥ
“Do not devour my husband, O lord—dearer to me than life itself. For those in distress, for those who seek refuge in their anguish, you alone are the true shelter and final recourse.”
The wife (Madayantī, continuing her plea)
Scene: The woman clings to the idea of refuge—hands folded, body bent forward, tears streaming; the captor looms but is addressed as ‘lord’ and ‘shelter,’ creating a dramatic moral inversion.
Seeking refuge (śaraṇāgati) is upheld as sacred; the powerful are morally bound to protect those who surrender in distress.
No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
None; it is a supplication grounded in dharma.