Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
सत्यं रतिश्न धर्मश्न स्वर्गश्न॒ गुणनिर्जित:,सस्त्रीणां पतिसमाधीन कांक्षितं च द्विजर्षभ । द्विजश्रेष्ठ! स्त्रियोंका सत्य, धर्म, रति, अपने गुणोंसे मिला हुआ स्वर्ग तथा उनकी सारी अभिलाषा पतिके ही अधीन है
satyaṁ ratiś ca dharmaś ca svargaś ca guṇa-nirjitaḥ | strīṇāṁ pati-samādhīnaṁ kāṅkṣitaṁ ca dvijarṣabha ||
نکُل نے کہا: “اے دِوِجَرِشَبھ! عورتوں کے لیے سچائی، رتی، دھرم، اپنے اوصاف سے حاصل کیا ہوا سُورگ، اور جو کچھ وہ چاہیں—سب شوہر کے تابع سمجھا جاتا ہے۔”
नकुल उवाच
The verse presents a normative dharma-śāstric view of household order: a woman’s moral and spiritual aims—truth, dharma, conjugal love, and even heavenly reward—are framed as being mediated through and dependent upon her husband.
Nakula is speaking to a learned brāhmaṇa (addressed as dvijarṣabha), articulating a principle about strī-dharma and the household relationship, emphasizing the husband’s central role in a woman’s desired goals and religious merit.