Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 2
भीष्म–रामसंयुगनिवृत्तिः
Bhishma and Rama: Restraint and Withdrawal in the Engagement
तानुवाच ततः कन्या तपोवृद्धानृषींस्तदा । निराकृतास्मि भीष्मेण भ्रंशिता पतिधर्मत:ः
tān uvāca tataḥ kanyā tapovṛddhān ṛṣīṁs tadā | nirākṛtāsmi bhīṣmeṇa bhraṁśitā patidharmataḥ ||
Pagkaraan, hinarap ng dalaga ang mga ermitanyong hinog sa pag-aayuno at pagninilay: “Itinakwil ako ni Bhīṣma; pinagkaitan ako ng dharma ng isang asawa—kapwa ng pagkamit ng isang kabiyak at ng tungkuling maglingkod nang tapat na kasunod nito.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds patidharma—marital duty and social-ethical status tied to marriage—and shows how denial of rightful marital placement is experienced as a moral injury, prompting appeal to ascetic authority for redress.
A maiden approaches austerity-hardened sages and laments that Bhīṣma has refused her, leaving her cut off from the expected path of obtaining a husband and fulfilling wifely obligations; this complaint sets up her search for justice and resolution.