Shloka 19
बकवधोत्तर-प्रशमनम् | Post-slaying Stabilization after Baka’s Death
नाहं भ्रातृवचो जातु कुर्या क्रू्रोपसंहितम् । पतिस्नेहो&तिबलवान् न तथा भ्रातृसौहदम्,“मेरे भाईकी बात क्रूरतासे भरी है, अतः मैं कदापि उसका पालन नहीं करूँगी। (नारीके हृदयमें) पतिप्रेम ही अत्यन्त प्रबल होता है। भाईका सौहार्द उसके समान नहीं होता। इन सबको मार देनेपर इनके मांससे मुझे और मेरे भाईको केवल दो घड़ीके लिये तृप्ति मिल सकती है और यदि न मारूँ तो बहुत वर्षोतक इनके साथ आनन्द भोगूगी'
naahaṃ bhrātṛvaco jātu kuryāṃ krūropasaṃhitam | patisneho 'tibalavān na tathā bhrātṛsauhṛdam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “I will never carry out my brother’s command when it is joined with cruelty. A wife’s love for her husband is exceedingly strong; a brother’s affection is not of the same measure.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not obey even a close relative’s command if it is rooted in cruelty; ethical restraint and compassionate judgment override blind loyalty. The verse also highlights the powerful pull of marital attachment as a motivating force in moral choice.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a woman refuses to follow her brother’s harsh instruction, arguing that the demand is cruel and that her attachment to her husband is stronger than brotherly goodwill, so she will not participate in an act of violence.