Shloka 52
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
पालनाद्धि पतिस्त्वं मे भर्तासि भरणाच्च मे
pālanāddhi patistvaṃ me bhartāsi bharaṇācca me
Nakula says: “Indeed, by protecting me you are my lord; and by sustaining me you are my husband.” In this line, he grounds marital authority not in mere status but in the ethical duties of guardianship and support—linking relationship to dharma expressed through care, protection, and responsibility.
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority in a relationship is justified through dharmic functions—protection (pālana) and sustenance (bharaṇa). The verse frames ‘pati’ and ‘bhartā’ as roles earned by responsibility rather than merely claimed by title.
Nakula addresses another person directly, affirming that the other’s status as ‘lord/husband’ is grounded in concrete duties: guarding and providing. The statement functions as an ethical validation of relational hierarchy based on care.