Shloka 62
Adhyaya 69 — The King’s Neglect of His Wife and the Restoration of Dharma
मार्कण्डेय उवाच । विलक्ष्यः स महीपाल इत्युक्तस्तेन धीमता । तथेत्युक्त्वा च पप्रच्छ हृतां पत्नीं द्विजन्मनः ॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca vilakṣyaḥ sa mahīpāla ity uktas tena dhīmatā / tathety uktvā ca papraccha hṛtāṃ patnīṃ dvijanmanaḥ
அந்த ஞானி இவ்வாறு கூறியபோது அரசன் வெட்கமடைந்தான். “அப்படியே ஆகட்டும்” என்று சொல்லி, பின்னர் கடத்தப்பட்ட பிராமணனின் மனைவியைப் பற்றி கேட்டான்.
FAQs
Shame (vilakṣyatā) here signals moral awakening: correct counsel produces humility, which then leads to right action—seeking to repair harm done to the vulnerable.
Manvantara: an illustrative episode within a Manu-era used to teach dharma through narrative consequence.
The king’s ‘abashment’ represents the turning-point where ego yields to dharma; only then can truth (right inquiry) arise.