Shloka 11
आर्जुन–गन्धर्वसंवादः
Arjuna–Gandharva Dialogue on Honor, Night-Power, and Purohita-Nīti
आत्मा पुत्र: सखा भार्या कृच्छों तु दुहिता किल । स कृच्छान्मोचयात्मानं मां च धर्मे नियोजय,“कहते हैं पुत्र अपना आत्मा है, पत्नी मित्र है; किंतु पुत्री निश्चय ही संकट है, अत: आप इस संकटसे अपनेको बचा लीजिये और मुझे भी धर्ममें लगाइये
ātmā putraḥ sakhā bhāryā kṛcchras tu duhitā kila | sa kṛcchrān mocayātmānaṃ māṃ ca dharme niyojaya ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Se dice que un hijo es el propio ser; que la esposa es compañera y amiga. Pero una hija—se dice—se vuelve fuente de grave desvelo. Por ello, líbrate de esta aflicción y ponme también firmemente en el sendero del dharma».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames household relationships in terms of duty and emotional burden, urging that one should act to remove distress and to place oneself (and others) in dharma—right conduct and responsible action—rather than remain trapped in anxiety.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker voices a conventional view of family roles—son as one’s own self, wife as a companion, and daughter as a cause of worry—and then appeals for relief from that worry while requesting guidance or engagement in dharma.