Shloka 16
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
यथैव ते पितुर्गेहं तथैव मम भामिनि । यथैव च ममैश्वर्य दमयन्ति तथा तव,'भामिनि! तुम्हारे लिये जैसा पिताका घर है, वैसा ही मेरा घर है। दमयन्ती! यह सारा ऐश्वर्य जैसे मेरा है, उसी प्रकार तुम्हारा भी है”
yathaiva te pitur gehaṃ tathaiva mama bhāmini | yathaiva ca mamaiśvaryaṃ damayanti tathā tava ||
The speaker reassures Damayantī with affectionate firmness: “Beloved, my home is as much yours as your father’s house is yours. And Damayantī, just as this prosperity and lordship are mine, so too are they yours.” In ethical terms, he affirms marital partnership and shared dignity—security, belonging, and wealth are not to be hoarded by one spouse but held in common through dharma.
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharmic ideal of marriage as shared belonging and shared resources: the wife’s security and status are affirmed, and prosperity is treated as common property within the household, not as the exclusive possession of the husband.
The speaker addresses Damayantī tenderly (bhāmini, damayanti) to reassure her that she has full claim to his home and his prosperity, placing her on equal footing in the household and affirming her rightful place and dignity.