Shloka 14
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
गृहीत्वामरगर्भाम॑ पुत्र कमललोचनम् । आजगाम ततः: सुभ्ूर्दुष्यन्तं विदिताद् वनात्,तदनन्तर सुन्दर भौंहोंवाली शकुन्तला कमलके समान नेत्रोंवाले देववालकके सदृश तेजस्वी पुत्रको साथ ले अपने परिचित तपोवनसे चलकर महाराज दुष्यन्तके यहाँ आयी
gṛhītvā maragarbhāṃ putraṃ kamalalocanam | ājagāma tataḥ śubhruḥ duṣyantaṃ viditād vanāt ||
Then Śakuntalā—fair and auspicious—took her lotus-eyed son, radiant like a divine child, and came from the hermitage-grove familiar to her to King Duṣyanta. The scene underscores the ethical demand that a king recognize and uphold responsibility toward his wife and child, protecting lineage and justice through rightful acknowledgment.
(वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma in household and royal life: a child and spouse must be acknowledged and protected, and a king’s legitimacy is tied to truthful recognition of responsibility, lineage, and justice.
Śakuntalā leaves her familiar hermitage and approaches King Duṣyanta, bringing her radiant, lotus-eyed son with her, setting the stage for the king’s recognition (or testing) of their relationship and the child’s status.