Shloka 123
सार्थवाहं च सार्थ च जना ये चात्र केचन । युवस्थविरबालाश्न सार्थस्य च पुरोगमा:,“इस जनसमुदायके जो सरदार हों, उनसे, इस जनसमूहसे तथा इसके (भीतर रहनेवाले और) आगे चलनेवाले जो बाल-वृद्ध और युवक मनुष्य हों, उन सबसे मेरा यह कहना है कि आप सब लोग मुझे मानवी समझें। मैं एक नरेशपुत्री, महाराजकी पुत्रवधू तथा राजपत्नी हूँ। अपने स्वामीके दर्शनकी इच्छासे इस वनमें भटक रही हूँ
sārthavāhaṃ ca sārthaṃ ca janā ye cātra kecana | yuvastavira-bālāś ca sārthasya ca purogamāḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “To the caravan-leader, to the caravan itself, and to whatever people are here—whether youths, elders, or children, and also those who go in front of the caravan—this is what I declare: regard me as a human woman. I am a king’s daughter, a great king’s daughter-in-law, and a queen. Longing to behold my husband, I have been wandering in this forest.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames an ethical appeal grounded in dharma: a vulnerable traveler asserts her human identity and royal marital status to invoke the community’s duty of protection and respectful conduct toward women, especially those separated from their husbands and exposed to danger in the forest.
A message is addressed to a caravan—its leader, members, and those moving ahead—asking them to recognize the speaker as a human woman of royal standing. She explains that she is a princess and queen who has been roaming the forest out of longing to see her husband, setting the context for seeking help, safety, or guidance.