Shloka 6
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
ननु त्वमार्ये धर्मज्ञा त्रैलोक्यविदिता शुभे | यद् घातयित्वा पुत्रेण भर्तारें नानुशोचसि,'आर्ये! शुभे! तुम धर्मको जाननेवाली और तीनों लोकोंमें विख्यात हो। तो भी आज पुत्रसे पतिकी हत्या कराकर तुम्हें शोक या पश्चात्ताप नहीं हो रहा है, इसका क्या कारण है?
nanu tvam ārye dharmajñā trailokyaviditā śubhe | yad ghātayitvā putreṇa bhartāraṁ nānuśocasi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “But surely, noble lady—auspicious one—you are a knower of dharma and renowned throughout the three worlds. Why is it that, even after having your husband slain by your own son, you do not grieve or feel remorse?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical challenge: true knowledge of dharma should manifest as moral sensitivity. It questions how a person famed for righteousness can remain untroubled after orchestrating a grave act—highlighting the tension between claimed virtue and inner response (śoka/anutāpa) to wrongdoing.
Vaiśampāyana reports a pointed interrogation addressed to a noble woman: she is reminded of her reputation for dharma and then asked why she shows no grief or remorse despite having her husband killed through her son. The line functions as a moral probe into motive, justification, or emotional detachment.