Shloka 7
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
मम शोकेन संविग्ना नैराश्यात् तनुमध्यमा । नैवं सा कर्हिचित् कुर्यात् सापत्या च विशेषत:,“क्योंकि पतली कमरवाली वह युवती मेरे शोकसे अत्यन्त उद्विग्न हो उठी होगी और मेरे मिलनेकी आशा न होनेके कारण उसने ऐसा विचार कर लिया होगा, परंतु मेरा हृदय कहता है कि वह कभी ऐसा नहीं कर सकती। विशेषत: वह संतानवती है। इसलिये भी उससे ऐसी आशा नहीं की जा सकती
mama śokena saṃvignā nairāśyāt tanumadhyamā | naivaṃ sā karhicit kuryāt sāpatyā ca viśeṣataḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva berkata: “Wanita berpinggang ramping itu tentu sangat terguncang oleh dukacitaku; dan apabila harapan untuk bertemu denganku lagi telah lenyap, dia mungkin menaruh fikiran sedemikian. Namun hatiku berkata dia tidak akan pernah melakukan hal itu—lebih-lebih lagi kerana dia seorang ibu. Oleh sebab itu juga, tidak wajar mengharapkan perkara demikian daripadanya.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical judgment grounded in character and responsibility: even if despair can push someone toward harmful decisions, a person bound by maternal duty and established virtue is not easily presumed to act wrongly. It cautions against hasty suspicion and emphasizes the stabilizing force of familial responsibility.
Bṛhadaśva reflects on a woman’s possible reaction to his sorrow and prolonged separation. He concedes she may have been overwhelmed and hopeless, yet he rejects the idea that she would commit the implied wrongful act, reasoning that her nature—and especially her status as a mother—makes such conduct unlikely.