Shloka 29
दमयन्ती–बाहुकसंवादः
Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure
सत्कृतासत्कृता वापि पतिं दृष्टवा तथाविधम् | राज्यभ्रष्टं श्रिया हीन॑ क्षुधितं व्यसनाप्लुतम्,पतिने उसका सत्कार किया हो या असत्कार; उसे चाहिये कि पतिको वैसे संकटमें पड़ा देखकर उसे क्षमा कर दे; क्योंकि वह राज्य और लक्ष्मीसे वंचित हो भूखसे पीड़ित एवं विपत्तिके अथाह सागरमें डूबा हुआ था
satkṛtāsatkṛtā vāpi patiṁ dṛṣṭvā tathāvidham | rājyabhraṣṭaṁ śriyā hīnaṁ kṣudhitaṁ vyasanāplutam ||
Whether she has honored him or slighted him, on seeing her husband in such a condition—fallen from his kingdom, bereft of prosperity, tormented by hunger, and submerged in calamity—she ought to forgive him. The ethical point is that compassion and forbearance are especially due when a person is broken by misfortune and deprivation, not to be judged harshly at the moment of ruin.
बाहुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches kṣamā (forgiveness) and karuṇā (compassion): when someone—especially one’s spouse—has been stripped of power and prosperity and is overwhelmed by suffering, one should respond with forbearance rather than blame.
Bāhuka speaks about a husband seen in extreme distress—fallen from his kingdom, without fortune, hungry, and engulfed by calamity—and argues that in such circumstances he deserves pardon, emphasizing humane judgment in times of downfall.