Shloka 17
दमयन्तीवाक्य-प्रेषणम्
Damayantī’s Message and the Dispatch of Brahmin Envoys
त्यक्ता तेनाल्पपुण्येन दुष्करं यदि जीवति । एका बालानभिशज्ञा च मार्गाणामतथोचिता,“वह नारी इतनी पतिव्रता थी कि संकटकालमें भी उस पुरुषके पीछे-पीछे वनमें चली गयी; किंतु उस अल्प पुण्यवाले पुरुषने उसे वनमें ही त्याग दिया। अब तो यदि वह जीवित होगी तो बड़े कष्टसे उसके दिन बीतते होंगे। वह स्त्री अकेली थी। उसे मार्गका ज्ञान नहीं था। जिस संकटमें वह पड़ी थी, उसके योग्य वह कदापि नहीं थी
tyaktā tenālpapuṇyena duṣkaraṃ yadi jīvati | ekā bālānabhijñā ca mārgāṇām atathocitā ||
Disse Bṛhadaśva: “Abandonada por aquele homem de pouco mérito, se ainda vive, sua vida deve passar em grande penúria. Era uma jovem, deixada inteiramente só—sem conhecer caminhos e rotas, e de todo inapta para o perigo em que caiu.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts steadfast devotion and vulnerability with the moral failure of abandoning a dependent spouse. It frames abandonment as a sign of diminished virtue (alpa-puṇya) and invites compassion for those left helpless and unprepared for danger.
Bṛhadaśva comments on a woman who followed her husband into hardship, yet was deserted by him. He reflects that if she is still alive, she must be enduring severe suffering—alone, unfamiliar with routes, and unfit for the crisis she faces.