Shloka 42
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
परुषाण्यपि चोक्ता या दृष्टा दृष्टेन चक्षुषा । सुप्रसन्नमुखी भर्तुर्या नारी सा पतिव्रता
paruṣāṇy api coktā yā dṛṣṭā dṛṣṭena cakṣuṣā | suprasannamukhī bhartur yā nārī sā pativratā ||
महादेव उवाच—परुषाण्यपि वचांसि भर्त्रा यदा प्रयुज्यन्ते, दोषदृष्ट्या वा यदा सा निरीक्ष्यते, तदा अपि या नारी भर्तुः समक्षं सुप्रसन्नमुखी, स्थिरा, अनुकम्पाशीलाच तिष्ठति, सा पतिव्रता विज्ञेया—न केवलं बाह्यविनयेन, किं तु धैर्येण शीलनियमेन च दाम्पत्यधर्मे सततं हितभावं सेवां च धारयन्ती।
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines pativratā-dharma as steadfastness and gracious composure toward one’s husband even under provocation—harsh speech or a critical look—presenting inner restraint and constancy as the ethical hallmark of devoted marital conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Śrīmahēśvara (Mahādeva) is speaking in a prescriptive, moral-register voice, offering a criterion by which a woman is recognized as pativratā: her unwavering, serene demeanor toward her husband despite unpleasant treatment.