Shloka 12
Subhadrā-vilāpaḥ — Subhadrā’s Lament for Abhimanyu
Droṇa-parva 55
नारदस्त्वब्रवीदेनं देहि महमिमां नूप । भार्यार्थ सुमहच्छेय: प्राप्तुं चेदिच्छसे नूप,इसी समय नारदजी राजासे बोले--“नरेश्वर! यदि तुम परम कल्याण प्राप्त करना चाहते हो तो अपनी इस कन्याको धर्मपत्नी बनानेके लिये मुझे दे दो”
nāradas tv abravīd enaṃ dehi mahām imāṃ nṛpa | bhāryārthaṃ sumahac chreyaḥ prāptuṃ ced icchase nṛpa ||
नारदस्त्वब्रवीदेनं देहि मह्यमिमां नृप । भार्यार्थं सुमहच्छ्रेयः प्राप्तुं चेदिच्छसे नृप ॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as practical ethical commitment: a ruler’s greatness is measured by truthfulness, generosity, and detachment. Nārada frames the request as a pathway to śreyas (highest good), implying that moral excellence may require surrendering personal claims for a higher duty.
Nārada addresses a king and asks him to give a maiden (the king’s daughter, per the prose context) to Nārada as a wife. The request functions as a moral trial, pressing the king to choose between attachment and a dharma-oriented act presented as leading to great welfare.