Shloka 16
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
पुत्रेण घातयित्वैनं पतिं यदि न मेउद्य वै जीवन्तं दर्शयस्यद्य परित्यक्ष्यामि जीवितम्
putreṇa ghātayitvainam patiṁ yadi na me ’dya vai jīvantaṁ darśayasy adya parityakṣyāmi jīvitam
«Tú incitaste a mi propio hijo y por su mano hiciste matar a mi esposo. Después de todo esto, si hoy—sí, hoy mismo—no me lo muestras con vida, yo también renunciaré a mi vida.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses moral accountability: one who engineers violence bears responsibility not only for the harm done but also for making amends. It also portrays the intensity of pativratā-dharma—devotion to the husband—where the wife’s sense of righteous order collapses if the husband is not restored.
A woman addresses the one she holds responsible for orchestrating her husband’s death through her son. She issues an ultimatum: unless the husband is shown alive that very day, she will give up her own life.