Shloka 41
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
भर्तव्या रक्षणीया च पत्नी पत्या हि सर्वदा । तन्नष्टमुभयं कस्माद् धर्मज्ञस्य सतस्तव,'प्राणनाथ! पतिको उचित है कि वह सदा अपनी पत्नीका भरण-पोषण एवं संरक्षण करे। आप धर्मज्ञ और साधु पुरुष हैं, आपके ये दोनों कर्तव्य सहसा नष्ट कैसे हो गये?
bhartavyā rakṣaṇīyā ca patnī patyā hi sarvadā | tan-naṣṭam ubhayaṁ kasmād dharmajñasya sataḥ tava ||
A wife, indeed, must always be maintained and protected by her husband. Why, then, have both these duties suddenly failed in your case—when you are known to be righteous and a good man, O lord of my life?
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a key householder (gṛhastha) obligation: a husband must consistently provide for and protect his wife. Neglect of these two duties is presented as a moral failure, especially shocking when attributed to someone reputed to be dharma-knowing and virtuous.
The speaker confronts her husband with an ethical appeal: since he is regarded as righteous, she questions how his fundamental responsibilities—maintenance and protection of his wife—have come to be abandoned or rendered ineffective in the present situation.