Shloka 1093
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
ऋषत्विक्पुरोहिताचार्यमन्त्रिभिश्व वृतं तदा | वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! राजा दुष्यन्तसे इतनी बातें कहकर शकुन्तला वहाँसे चलनेको उद्यत हुई। इतनेमें ही ऋत्विजू, पुरोहित, आचार्य और मन्त्रियोंसे घिरे हुए दुष्यन्तको सम्बोधित करते हुए आकाशवाणी हुई
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ṛṣitvik-purohita-ācārya-mantribhiś ca vṛtaṃ tadā |
Vaiśampāyana said: At that time King Duṣyanta, surrounded by the officiating priests, the royal chaplain, the preceptor, and his ministers, was addressed by a voice from the sky—just as Śakuntalā, having spoken at length to him, was preparing to depart. The episode underscores that royal conduct is not merely private: it is judged in the presence of dharma-bearing authorities, and even cosmic testimony may intervene when justice is at stake.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s decisions—especially regarding justice, marriage, and recognition—are accountable to dharma and to the community of learned authorities (priests, preceptor, ministers). When human judgment falters, the narrative suggests that truth can be affirmed through higher, impartial testimony (ākāśavāṇī).
After speaking to King Duṣyanta, Śakuntalā is about to leave. At that moment, Duṣyanta is shown surrounded by his ritual and political advisers, and a heavenly voice addresses him—signaling a decisive intervention in the dispute and setting the stage for the recognition of truth.