Shloka 1
The Account of Women
Householder Ethics, Fault, Merit, and Govinda-Nāma as Purification
द्विज उवाच । मांडव्यस्य मुनेर्विष्णोश्शूलाघातः कथं तनौ । पत्यौ पतिव्रतायाश्च कथं कुष्ठं कलेवरे
dvija uvāca | māṃḍavyasya munerviṣṇośśūlāghātaḥ kathaṃ tanau | patyau pativratāyāśca kathaṃ kuṣṭhaṃ kalevare
Brahmana itu berkata: “Wahai Viṣṇu, bagaimana resi Māṇḍavya boleh terkena tikaman pasak/śūla pada tubuhnya? Dan bagaimana kusta timbul pada tubuh isteri pativrata yang setia, kerana suaminya?”
Dvija (a Brahmin narrator/questioner)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्विज उवाच → द्विजः उवाच (विसर्ग-लोप); विष्णोश्शूलाघातः → विष्णोः शूलाघातः (विसर्ग + श); पतिव्रतायाश्च → पतिव्रतायाः च (विसर्ग-लोप)
FAQs
It introduces a narrative question about the cause of Māṇḍavya’s bodily punishment, setting up a karmic or moral explanation that the following verses typically unfold.
The verse frames a moral problem—how suffering can appear even in a virtuous person—often explained in Purāṇic contexts through karma, association, vows, or divine testing.
The verse prepares an inquiry into justice and causality—how actions (one’s own or connected persons’) can lead to consequences, and how dharma is interpreted when the righteous seem to suffer.