Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 18
मद्वाक्यान्मुज्च मे भार्या कस्मात् तां हृतवानसि । लोकपालो<सि लोकानां न लोकस्य विलोपक:
madvākyān muñca me bhāryāṃ kasmāt tāṃ hṛtavān asi | lokapālo 'si lokānāṃ na lokasya vilopakaḥ | muñca bhāryām utathyasya kasmāt tvaṃ hṛtavān asi ||
Atas ucapanku, lepaskan istriku. Mengapa engkau membawanya pergi? Engkau ditetapkan sebagai lokapāla, penjaga dunia-dunia, bukan perusak tatanan dunia. Lepaskan istri Utathya—mengapa engkau menculiknya?
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority—especially divine or royal authority—must function as lokapāla (protector) and uphold dharma; taking another’s lawful spouse by force is condemned as a violation of social and moral order.
The speaker confronts Varuṇa for abducting a woman identified as a lawful wife and demands her release, arguing that Varuṇa’s role as a world-guardian obliges him to protect, not violate, the world’s order.