Shloka 24

Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda

Grief

Devanagari script

पतिव्रतानां नियतं धर्म चावहित: शूणु,राजा युधिष्छिर! इसी प्रकरणमें पतिव्रताओंके नियत धर्मका वर्णन किया जायगा। तुम सावधान होकर सुनो

Transliteration

pativratānāṃ niyataṃ dharmaṃ cāvahitaḥ śṛṇu, rājā yudhiṣṭhira! asmin prakaraṇe pativratānāṃ niyata-dharmasya varṇanaṃ kariṣyate. tvaṃ sāvadhānaḥ śṛṇu.

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O King Yudhiṣṭhira, listen with full attention to the fixed and proper duty of devoted wives. In this section, the established dharma of pativratā women will be described; therefore, hear it carefully.”

Word by Word

• {'pativratā': 'a woman devoted to her husband

• one who observes conjugal fidelity and duty as a religious vow', 'niyata': 'fixed, prescribed, regulated

• firmly established', 'dharma': 'duty, righteous conduct, moral/religious law', 'āvahita / avahita': 'attentive, concentrated, mentally present', 'śṛṇu': 'listen (imperative)', 'rājā': 'king', 'Yudhiṣṭhira': 'eldest Pāṇḍava

• exemplar of dharma', 'prakaraṇa': 'topic, section, context of discussion', 'varṇana': 'description, exposition', 'sāvadhāna': 'careful, vigilant, attentive'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical instruction: the dharma of pativratā women is presented as a regulated, established code of conduct, and the listener is urged to receive it with focused attention—implying that moral teaching requires both authoritative exposition and disciplined listening.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sage Mārkaṇḍeya addresses King Yudhiṣṭhira and announces a new topical section. He signals that he will now describe the prescribed duties of devoted wives (pativratās) and asks the king to listen carefully, marking a transition into a didactic discourse within the Vana Parva.