Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
अथ तां पुनरेवेदं प्रोवाच स सुदर्शन: । क्व सा साध्वी क््व सा याता गरीय: किमतो मम
atha tāṃ punar evedaṃ provāca sa sudarśanaḥ | kva sā sādhvī kva sā yātā garīyaḥ kim ato mama ||
Lalu Sudarśana kembali berseru berulang-ulang: “Di manakah wanita suci itu? Ke manakah perginya istriku yang setia? Tugas apakah yang lebih berat daripada melayaniku yang tiba-tiba menimpanya?”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse foregrounds the traditional dharma-ideal of the sādhvī (faithful, virtuous wife) and the expectation of steadfast domestic duty; it also hints at how attachment and entitlement can shape one’s moral assumptions about another’s obligations.
Sudarśana, not finding his wife, calls out for her again and again, wondering where she has gone and what could be more urgent than attending to him.