Shloka 146
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 181 — Svayaṃvara Aftermath: Arjuna–Karna Exchange and Bhīma–Śalya Contest
प्रसीद नृपतिश्रेष्ठ भर्तायं मे विसृज्यताम् । “मेरा ऋतुकाल प्राप्त है, मैं पतिके कष्टसे दुःख पा रही हूँ। मैं संतानकी इच्छासे पतिके समीप आयी थी और उनसे मिलकर अभी अपनी इच्छा पूर्ण नहीं कर पायी हूँ। नृपश्रेष्ठ! ऐसी दशामें आप मुझपर प्रसन्न होइये और मेरे इन पतिदेवताको छोड़ दीजिये'
prasīda nṛpatiśreṣṭha bhartāyaṁ me visṛjyatām |
The Gandharva said: “Be gracious, O best of kings. Release this husband of mine. My season for conception has arrived, and I suffer because of my husband’s distress. Desiring offspring, I came to my husband, yet I have not been able to fulfill that desire through union with him. Therefore, O king, be pleased with me in this condition and let my lord go.”
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse appeals to royal dharma and compassion: a ruler should restrain force and act with fairness, especially in matters of marriage and bodily autonomy. It also foregrounds the ethical weight of a wife’s legitimate desire for progeny within the bounds of her marital relationship.
A Gandharva woman pleads with a king to release her husband. She explains that her fertile period has arrived and that she is distressed because separation and her husband’s suffering prevent marital union and the fulfillment of her wish for children.