Shloka 4
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
ननु त्वमार्यधर्मज्ञा ननु चासि पतिव्रता । यत्त्वस्कृतेड्यं पतित: पतिस्ते निहतो रणे,“बहिन! तुम तो आर्यधर्मको जाननेवाली और पतिव्रता हो। तथापि तुम्हारी ही करतूतसे ये तुम्हारे पति इस समय रणभूमिमें मरे पड़े हैं
nanu tvam āryadharmajñā nanu cāsi pativratā | yat tvat-kṛte īḍyaṁ patitaḥ patiḥ te nihato raṇe |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「まことに汝は高貴なるダルマの道を知り、また夫に貞節を尽くす者であろう。しかるに汝のなしたことのゆえに、敬うべき汝の夫は、今や戦場に斃れ、討たれて横たわっている。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability: knowledge of dharma and the ideal of marital devotion are meaningless if one’s actions lead to harm. It underscores the ethical tension between professed virtue and the real consequences of conduct.
The speaker points a reproachful finger at a woman described as dharma-knowing and devoted, accusing her that through her deed her honored husband has been killed and now lies fallen on the battlefield.