Shloka 42
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
परुषाण्यपि चोक्ता या दृष्टा दृष्टेन चक्षुषा । सुप्रसन्नमुखी भर्तुर्या नारी सा पतिव्रता
paruṣāṇy api coktā yā dṛṣṭā dṛṣṭena cakṣuṣā | suprasannamukhī bhartur yā nārī sā pativratā ||
マハーデーヴァは言った。たとえ夫が荒い言葉を吐こうとも、咎を探す眼差しで見ようとも、それでも夫の前で安らかにして朗らかな面差しを保ち、慈しみ深く揺るがぬ女は、「パティヴラター」（pativratā）—貞節の誓いに堅く立ち、献身の行いを守る妻—と知られるべきである。この偈が説く堅忍は、ただ外形の服従ではなく、婚姻のうちに奉仕と善意を貫くための倫理的な鍛錬である。
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines pativratā-dharma as steadfastness and gracious composure toward one’s husband even under provocation—harsh speech or a critical look—presenting inner restraint and constancy as the ethical hallmark of devoted marital conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Śrīmahēśvara (Mahādeva) is speaking in a prescriptive, moral-register voice, offering a criterion by which a woman is recognized as pativratā: her unwavering, serene demeanor toward her husband despite unpleasant treatment.