Shloka 39
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
चकार पत्नीं कन्यां तु तथा तां गिरिकां नृपः । वसो: पत्नी तु गिरिका कामकालं न्यवेदयत्
cakāra patnīṃ kanyāṃ tu tathā tāṃ girikāṃ nṛpaḥ | vasoḥ patnī tu girikā kāmakālaṃ nyavedayat |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。娘の方は王が妻として迎え、その名をギリカー（Girikā）といった。しかるべき季節が来て、沐浴し儀礼の清浄を得たギリカー—ヴァスの妃—は、子を授かるにふさわしい時に交わりたいと王に告げた。だがその同じ日、ヴァスを喜んだ祖霊（ピトリたち、Pitṛs）が命じた。「猛き獣どもを討て。」祖先の命に背くまいと、王は危険な獣を狩るため森へ赴いた。しかし欲望（カーマ）に駆られ、心はなお、第二のラクシュミー（Lakṣmī）のごとく美しく輝くギリカーに結びついていた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension a ruler faces when personal desire coincides with an overriding duty: Vasu honors the Pitṛs’ command without neglecting the narrative’s emphasis on proper season and purity for marital union, showing how dharma can require restraint and prioritization.
Vasu marries the maiden Girikā. When she expresses desire for union at the proper time for conception, the Pitṛs simultaneously order Vasu to go kill dangerous animals. He goes to the forest to obey them, though his mind remains absorbed in Girikā’s beauty.