Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 63
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
धारणे नास्य शक्ताहं गर्भस्य तपतां वर । उत्स्रक्ष्येडहमिमं दुःखान्न तु कामात् कथंचन
dhāraṇe nāsya śaktāhaṃ garbhasya tapatāṃ vara | utsrakṣyed aham imaṃ duḥkhān na tu kāmāt kathaṃcana ||
तपस्वियों में श्रेष्ठ पावक! अब मुझमें इस गर्भ को धारण करने की शक्ति नहीं रही। असह्य दुःख से विवश होकर ही मैं इसे त्याग रही हूँ; किसी प्रकार भी स्वेच्छा से नहीं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical intention: an act that appears like ‘abandoning’ is distinguished by motive—done under compulsion of suffering and incapacity, not from desire. It underscores self-restraint and moral accountability through the purity of intention.
A speaker (introduced here as Bhishma in the provided metadata) conveys that continuing to bear a pregnancy is no longer possible. The speaker declares the impending abandonment of the foetus is driven solely by unbearable pain, explicitly denying any voluntary or desire-based motive.