Shloka 73
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आदिपर्वके अन्तर्गत सम्भवपर्वमें शकुन्तलोपाख्यानविषयक तिहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,दुष्यन्त उवाच न पुत्रमभिजानामि त्वयि जात॑ं शकुन्तले । असत्यवचना नार्य: कस्ते श्रद्धास्यते वच: दुष्यन्त बोले--शकुन्तले! मैं तुम्हारे गर्भसे उत्पन्न इस पुत्रको नहीं जानता। स्त्रियाँ प्रायः झूठ बोलनेवाली होती हैं। तुम्हारी बातपर कौन श्रद्धा करेगा? तुम्हारी माता वेश्या मेनका बड़ी क्रूरहदया है, जिसने तुम्हें हिमालयके शिखरपर निर्माल्यकी तरह उतार फेंका है
duṣyanta uvāca | na putram abhijānāmi tvayi jātaṃ śakuntale | asatyavacanā nāryaḥ kas te śraddhāsyate vacaḥ |
Duṣyanta said: “Śakuntalā, I do not acknowledge this son said to be born from you. Women are often accused of speaking falsely—who, then, will place trust in your words?” In the ethical tension of the episode, the king publicly rejects recognition, invoking a stereotype to deny responsibility, thereby intensifying the conflict between personal desire, royal reputation, and dharma toward spouse and child.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how dharma can be obscured by fear of public opinion and prejudice: a ruler’s duty to truth and responsibility toward spouse and child is tested when he prioritizes reputation and uses generalized suspicion to dismiss a rightful claim.
In the Śakuntalā episode, Śakuntalā presents her child and asserts Duṣyanta’s paternity; Duṣyanta, in the royal court context, refuses to acknowledge the boy and questions her credibility, escalating the dispute that will later be resolved by higher testimony and recognition.