Shloka 20
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
कष्ट ७0४ रूयुवाच क्षन्तुमर्हसि मे विद्वन् भर्ता मे दैवतं महत् । स चापि क्षुधित: श्रान्तः प्राप्त: शुश्रूषितो मया
kṣantum arhasi me vidvan bhartā me daivataṁ mahat | sa cāpi kṣudhitaḥ śrāntaḥ prāptaḥ śuśrūṣito mayā ||
“O wise one, please forgive me. My husband is my great divinity. And he too—hungry and weary—has come here; I have been attending upon him with devoted service.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of devoted service and reverence within household life: the wife regards her husband as a sacred duty-object (daivata) and seeks forgiveness while prioritizing care for the weary and hungry.
A woman (as recounted by Mārkaṇḍeya) addresses a learned person, asking pardon and explaining that her husband—hungry and exhausted—has arrived, and she has been engaged in serving him.