Shloka 39

Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)

Devanagari script

जो पतिकी देवताके समान सेवा और परिचर्या करती हैं

Transliteration

yā patikī devatā-samāṃ sevāṃ paricaryāṃ ca karoti, patim ṛte ’nyasmin kasmiṃścid hārdikaṃ prema na karoti, kadācit na kupyati, uttama-vrataṃ ca pālayati; yasyā darśanaṃ pataye sukhadaṃ pratibhāti; yā putra-mukha-vat svāmi-mukhaṃ prati sadā niharati; yā sādhvī niyata-āhārā ca sā strī dharma-cāriṇī ucyate. śrutvā dāmpatya-dharmaṃ vai saha-dharma-kṛtaṃ śubham—“pati-patnyau ekatra sthitvā dharmācaraṇaṃ kartavyam” iti—yā bhavet dharma-paramā nārī bharta-sama-vratā sā pativratā.

Translation

Ipinahayag ni Maheshvara na ang isang babae ay tinatawag na tunay na tagasunod ng dharma kapag pinaglilingkuran at inaalagaan niya ang kanyang asawa na parang isang diyos, ibinibigay ang taos-pusong pag-ibig sa kanya lamang, hindi nahuhulog sa galit, at tapat na tumutupad sa mararangal na panata. Ang kanyang pag-iral ay nakalulugod sa asawa; palagi niyang tinitingnan ang mukha ng kanyang panginoon gaya ng pagtingin sa mukha ng isang anak sa matatag na pagmamahal; siya’y malinis ang dangal at disiplinado, at may takdang pagkain. Nang marinig ang mapalad na dharma ng buhay-mag-asawa—na ang mag-asawa ay dapat magsama at magsagawa ng katuwiran nang magkasalo—ang babaeng nagiging deboto sa dharma at tumutupad ng mga panatang kaayon ng asawa ay tinatawag na pativratā (ang tapat sa panata ng asawa).

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• दम्पतिधर्मम्: the duty/law of husband and wife (conjugal duty)
• दम्पतिधर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दम्पतिधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• सहधर्मम्: shared/common dharma
• सहधर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृतम्: done / performed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Accusative, Singular, कर्मणि/भावे

• शुभम्: auspicious
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• या: who (she who)
• या: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would be / should become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), present (modal), 3rd, Singular, परस्मैपद

• धर्मपरमा: supremely devoted to dharma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मपरम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नारी: woman
• नारी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भर्तसमव्रता: having vows equal to her husband (sharing the husband's vow)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भर्तृ-सम-व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)
• pati (husband)
• patnī (wife)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage defines dharma in marriage as disciplined, faithful, and affectionate partnership: a wife is praised as dharma-cāriṇī when she is devoted, self-controlled, and aligned in vows with her husband, and when the couple practices dharma together (saha-dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on conduct, Maheshvara speaks as a teacher, describing the qualities of an ideal dharmic wife and concluding that hearing and adopting this auspicious marital code makes a woman ‘bhartṛ-sama-vratā’—a pativratā who shares her husband’s vow-oriented life.