Shloka 19
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
अवज्ञाता च लोकेषु तथा55त्मानमजानती । अवलिप्तैनरिब्रह्यन् मरिष्यामि न संशय:,ब्रह्म! आपके इस पुत्रको आपके अनुरूप न देखकर और आपकी इस पुत्रीको भी अयोग्य पुरुषके वशमें पड़ी देखकर तथा लोकमें घमंडी मनुष्योंद्वारा अपमानित हो अपनेको पूर्ववत् सम्मानित अवस्थामें न पाकर मैं प्राण त्याग दूँगी, इसमें संशय नहीं है
avajñātā ca lokeṣu tathā ātmānam ajānatī | avaliptair nara-brāhman mariṣyāmi na saṁśayaḥ ||
“Desprezada entre as pessoas e já sem reconhecer o meu próprio valor, eu morrerei—sem dúvida, ó brāhmaṇa—quando eu vir teu filho não estar à tua altura e tua filha cair sob o domínio de um homem indigno; e quando, insultada no mundo por homens arrogantes, eu me encontrar sem a honra que outrora possuía.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social contempt and the perceived moral failure of one’s family can drive a person into despair; it implicitly warns against arrogance (avalipta) and the harm caused by public humiliation, while stressing the ethical weight placed on family conduct and reputation.
A speaker (introduced as “the brāhmaṇa said”) declares that, being dishonored in society and seeing the brāhmaṇa’s son not matching his father’s stature and the daughter subjected to an unworthy man, and being insulted by proud people, the speaker will give up life—stating this as a certainty.