Shloka 35
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
उत्सृज्यापि हि मामार्य प्राप्स्यस्यन्यामपि स्त्रियम् । ततः प्रतिष्ठितो धर्मो भविष्यति पुनस्तव,आर्य! मुझे त्याग करके आप दूसरी स्त्री भी प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। उससे आपका गृहस्थ-धर्म पुनः प्रतिष्ठित हो जायगा
utsṛjyāpi hi mām ārya prāpsyasy anyām api striyam | tataḥ pratiṣṭhito dharmo bhaviṣyati punas tava ||
“Even if you abandon me, noble sir, you can obtain another wife. Then your household duty (gṛhastha-dharma) will be re-established for you once again.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gṛhastha-dharma (householder duty) as something that can be socially restored through remarriage, and it presents a self-effacing ethical stance: the speaker prioritizes the addressee’s dharma and stability over her own claim.
A brāhmaṇa speaker addresses an ‘ārya’ and says that even if he leaves her, he can take another wife, by which his household order and duties will again stand firmly established—indicating a moment of counsel marked by resignation and concern for dharma.