Shloka 17
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
पतिकी सेवा करते-करते उस मंगलमयी दृष्टिवाली देवीको भिक्षाके लिये खड़े हुए ब्राह्मगकी याद आयी ।। व्रीडिता साभवत् साध्वी तदा भरतसत्तम । भिक्षामादाय विप्राय निर्जगाम यशस्विनी,भरतवंशविभूषण! अपनी भूलके कारण वह यशस्विनी साध्वी स्त्री बहुत लज्जित हुई और ब्राह्मणके लिये भिक्षा लेकर घरसे बाहर निकली
Markaṇḍeya uvāca: patikī-sevāṃ kurvatī kurvatī sā maṅgalamayī dṛṣṭivālī devī bhikṣārthaṃ sthitaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ smṛtavatī. vrīḍitā sābhavat tadā, bharatasattama. bhikṣām ādāya viprāya nirjagāma yaśasvinī, bharatavaṃśavibhūṣaṇa.
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Khi vẫn miệt mài hầu hạ phu quân, người phụ nữ có ánh nhìn cát tường ấy chợt nhớ đến vị bà-la-môn đang đứng xin bố thí. Nhận ra mình đã sơ suất, nàng thẹn thùng sâu sắc. Rồi, hỡi bậc tối thượng trong dòng Bharata, nàng lấy phần bố thí dành cho vị bà-la-môn và bước ra ngoài để trao cho ông—với đức hạnh khiêm cung và ý thức bổn phận vừa được khơi dậy trở lại.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when absorbed in one’s primary duties (here, household and spousal service), one must not neglect obligations toward guests and mendicants. Recognizing a lapse, feeling appropriate shame, and promptly correcting it are presented as marks of dharmic character.
A virtuous woman, busy serving her husband, suddenly remembers a Brahmin waiting for alms. Realizing she delayed him, she feels ashamed, takes the alms, and goes out to give it to him—restoring proper hospitality and duty.