Shloka 12

पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता

Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नपराधे त्वां शिरसाहं प्रसादये । योषितो हि सदा रक्ष्या: स्वापराद्धापि नित्यश:,यद्यपि मुझसे यह अपराध हुआ है, तो भी इसके लिये आपके चरणोंमें मस्तक रखकर मैं यह प्रार्थना करती हूँ कि आप क्षमापूर्वक प्रसन्न हो जाइये। स्त्रियोंसे अपना अपराध हो जाय, तो भी श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंको सदा उनकी रक्षा ही करनी चाहिये

Transliteration

etasminn aparādhe tvāṁ śirasāhaṁ prasādaye | yoṣito hi sadā rakṣyāḥ svāparāddhāpi nityaśaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “For this offence, I bow my head and beg you to be gracious and forgive me. For women are always to be protected; even when they themselves have erred, noble men should continually uphold their safety.”

Word by Word

• {'etasmīn': 'in this (matter)', 'aparādhe': 'offence, wrongdoing', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'śirasā': 'with (my) head

• by bowing the head', 'aham': 'I', 'prasādaye': 'I appease

• I entreat for favor/forgiveness', 'yoṣitaḥ': 'women', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'sadā': 'always', 'rakṣyāḥ': 'to be protected

• worthy of protection (gerundive)', 'sva-aparāddhā api': 'even if having committed one’s own fault', 'nityaśaḥ': 'constantly, at all times'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharmic ethic: even when a woman is at fault, a ‘śreṣṭha’ (noble person) should prioritize her protection, while the speaker models humility by seeking forgiveness through respectful submission.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a woman (as reflected in the direct speech) acknowledges an offence and pleads for pardon, invoking a broader moral principle that the strong and virtuous must safeguard women regardless of personal grievance.