Shloka 59
Adhyaya 69 — The King’s Neglect of His Wife and the Restoration of Dharma
पत्नीानुकूलया भाव्यं यथाशीलेऽपि भर्तरि ।
दुःशीलापि तथा भार्या पोषणीयाऽऽ नरेश्वर ॥
patnyānukūlayā bhāvyaṃ yathāśīle 'pi bhartari | duḥśīlāpi tathā bhāryā poṣaṇīyā nareśvara ||
Seseorang hendaknya bertingkah laku menyenangkan bagi istrinya, walaupun perilaku sang suami sendiri demikian adanya. Demikian pula, wahai penguasa manusia, meski istri berkelakuan buruk, ia tetap harus dipelihara.
FAQs
The verse teaches responsibility over convenience: marriage entails obligations of support and accommodation. Even when relational difficulties exist, abandonment is not endorsed as the dharmic solution.
Dharma/ācāra teaching placed within Manvantara narrative. It functions as normative social ethics rather than genealogical or cosmological material.
Supporting the ‘difficult’ spouse symbolizes sustaining one’s commitments despite the mind’s likes/dislikes—an inner tapas that stabilizes character and prevents dharma from becoming mood-dependent.