Adhyaya 71 — The King’s Remorse and the Sage’s Counsel on the Necessity of a Wife
पृच्छ मामिह किं कार्यं मयेति उद्विग्नमानसः । त्वय्यागते महीपाल ! शृणु कार्यञ्च यत्तव ॥
pṛccha mām iha kiṃ kāryaṃ mayeti udvigna-mānasaḥ / tvayy āgate mahīpāla śṛṇu kāryaṃ ca yat tava
‘ഇവിടെ എന്നോടു ചോദിക്കൂ—ഞാൻ എന്ത് ചെയ്യണം?’ എന്ന് വ്യാകുലമായ മനസ്സോടെ അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു. ഹേ ഭൂമിപാലാ! നീ വന്നിരിക്കുന്നതിനാൽ, നിനക്കു സംബന്ധിച്ച കാര്യമും കേൾക്കുക.
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Moral disturbance (udvega) is presented as a symptom that one’s actions have diverged from dharma; the proper response is humble inquiry and willingness to hear correction.
Didactic interlude embedded in narrative (vaṃśānucarita-like exemplum). It is not sarga/pratisarga/manvantara material but functions as dharma-śikṣā within the Purāṇic storytelling method.
The ‘what should I do?’ question marks the turning point from compulsive action to reflective action; in inner terms, it is the buddhi seeking alignment with dharma.