Shloka 50
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
सत्यं रतिश्न धर्मश्न स्वर्गश्न॒ गुणनिर्जित:,सस्त्रीणां पतिसमाधीन कांक्षितं च द्विजर्षभ । द्विजश्रेष्ठ! स्त्रियोंका सत्य, धर्म, रति, अपने गुणोंसे मिला हुआ स्वर्ग तथा उनकी सारी अभिलाषा पतिके ही अधीन है
satyaṁ ratiś ca dharmaś ca svargaś ca guṇa-nirjitaḥ | strīṇāṁ pati-samādhīnaṁ kāṅkṣitaṁ ca dvijarṣabha ||
Nakula berkata: “Wahai yang termulia di antara para dwija, bagi perempuan—kebenaran, cinta, dharma, bahkan surga yang diraih oleh kebajikan mereka sendiri, serta apa pun yang mereka dambakan—dipahami bergantung pada suami.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a normative dharma-śāstric view of household order: a woman’s moral and spiritual aims—truth, dharma, conjugal love, and even heavenly reward—are framed as being mediated through and dependent upon her husband.
Nakula is speaking to a learned brāhmaṇa (addressed as dvijarṣabha), articulating a principle about strī-dharma and the household relationship, emphasizing the husband’s central role in a woman’s desired goals and religious merit.