Shloka 16
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
पुत्रेण घातयित्वैनं पतिं यदि न मेउद्य वै जीवन्तं दर्शयस्यद्य परित्यक्ष्यामि जीवितम्,“तुम्हींने बेटेको लड़ाकर उसके द्वारा इन पतिदेवकी हत्या करवायी है। यह सब करके यदि आज तुम पुनः इन्हें जीवित करके न दिखा दोगी तो मैं भी प्राण त्याग दूँगी
putreṇa ghātayitvainam patiṁ yadi na me ’dya vai jīvantaṁ darśayasy adya parityakṣyāmi jīvitam
“Chính ngươi đã xúi giục con trai ta, khiến nó ra tay giết chồng ta. Sau khi đã làm tất cả những điều ấy, nếu hôm nay—đúng hôm nay—ngươi không cho ta thấy chồng ta còn sống, thì ta cũng sẽ lìa bỏ mạng sống.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses moral accountability: one who engineers violence bears responsibility not only for the harm done but also for making amends. It also portrays the intensity of pativratā-dharma—devotion to the husband—where the wife’s sense of righteous order collapses if the husband is not restored.
A woman addresses the one she holds responsible for orchestrating her husband’s death through her son. She issues an ultimatum: unless the husband is shown alive that very day, she will give up her own life.