Shloka 12
Adhyaya 23 — Ashvatara’s Vow for Madalasa and the Bestowal of Musical Science by Sarasvati
मृतेति सा मन्ममित्तं त्यजामि यदि जीवितम् ।
किं मयोपकृतं तस्याः श्लाघ्यमेतत्तु योषिताम् ॥
mṛteti sā mannamittaṃ tyajāmi yadi jīvitam / kiṃ mayopakṛtaṃ tasyāḥ ślāghyam etat tu yoṣitām
หากข้าพเจ้าละทิ้งชีวิตด้วยความคิดว่า ‘นางตายแล้ว’ ข้าพเจ้าได้ทำคุณประโยชน์อันใดแก่นางเล่า? สำหรับสตรี การสละเช่นนี้ย่อมได้รับการสรรเสริญว่าเป็นความประเสริฐ.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse critiques impulsive self-destruction as ethically ambiguous: dying ‘because she is dead’ does not necessarily constitute genuine service to the beloved. It also notes a social double-standard—female self-sacrifice is culturally praised—setting up the speaker’s later reasoning about duty and honor.
Primarily outside the pañcalakṣaṇa core (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to vaṃśānucarita-type narrative ethics (conduct of notable persons) used to teach dharma through story.
The tension between grief-driven dissolution (tamas) and duty-driven preservation (dharma/rajas guided by sattva) is foregrounded: the ‘praised’ act is questioned, hinting that true loyalty may require living to fulfill higher obligations.