Shloka 19
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
सो<थ श्रुत्वैव तद् वाक््यं तस्या राजा स्मरन्नपि । अब्रवीन्न स्मरामीति कस्य त्वं दुष्टतापसि,राजा दुष्यन्तने शकुन्तलाका यह वचन सुनकर सब बातोंको याद रखते हुए भी उससे इस प्रकार कहा--दुष्ट तपस्विनि! मुझे कुछ भी याद नहीं है। तुम किसकी स्त्री हो?
so 'tha śrutvaiva tad vākyaṃ tasyā rājā smarann api | abravīn na smarāmīti kasya tvaṃ duṣṭatāpasi ||
Then, having heard her words, the king—though in fact remembering—said, “I do not remember.” He added, “Wicked ascetic woman, whose wife are you?” The line highlights a deliberate denial of truth: a ruler, bound to uphold dharma, chooses deception and harsh speech to evade responsibility, thereby intensifying the moral tension of the episode with Śakuntalā.
दुष्यन्त उवाच