Adhyaya 71 — The King’s Remorse and the Sage’s Counsel on the Necessity of a Wife
त्यजता भवता पत्नीं न शोभनमनुष्ठितम् । अत्याज्यो हि यथा भर्ता स्त्रीणां भार्या तथा नृणाम् ॥
tyajatā bhavatā patnīṃ na śobhanam anuṣṭhitam / atyājyo hi yathā bhartā strīṇāṃ bhāryā tathā nṛṇām
Sa pagtalikod mo sa iyong asawa, hindi ka kumilos nang wasto. Sapagkat kung paanong ang asawa (lalaki) ay hindi dapat talikuran ng mga babae, gayundin ang asawa (babae) ay hindi dapat talikuran ng mga lalaki.
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Dharma is framed as reciprocal obligation: fidelity and non-abandonment are not one-sided demands but mutual duties that sustain trust and social stability.
Normative dharma teaching within narrative; supportive of Purāṇic social ethics rather than a pañcalakṣaṇa core (creation/manvantara/genealogy).
The symmetry ‘as for women, so for men’ points to balance: inner wholeness requires honoring commitments rather than splitting life into convenience-based choices.