Shloka 35

Devanagari script

अप्रदाता पिता वाच्यो वाच्यश्वानुपयन्‌ पति: । मृते भर्तरि पुत्तश्न वाच्यो मातुररक्षिता,“विवाहके योग्य हो जानेपर कनन्‍्याका दान न करनेवाला पिता निन्दनीय है। ऋतुकालमें पत्नीके साथ समागम न करनेवाला पति निन्दाका पात्र है तथा पतिके मर जानेपर विधवा माताकी रक्षा न करनेवाला पुत्र धिक्‍कारके योग्य है"

Transliteration

aprādātā pitā vācyaḥ vācyaś cānupayan patiḥ | mṛte bhartari putraś ca vācyo mātur arakṣitā ||

Translation

马尔坎德耶说道：“女儿既已到了适婚之龄而父亲仍不为其择配出嫁者，当受责难；丈夫在应当亲近之时节而不亲近妻子者，亦当受责难；而丈夫既亡之后，儿子若不护持其母，亦同样应受非议。”

Word by Word

अप्रदाताnot giving (one who does not give)

पिताfather

वाच्यःto be censured / blameworthy

चand

अनुपयन्not going to / not approaching (esp. sexually approaching)

पतिःhusband

मृतेwhen (he is) dead

भर्तरिin/when the husband (is dead)

पुत्रःson

वाच्यःto be censured / blameworthy

मातुःof (his) mother

अरक्षिताnot protecting / one who does not protect

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse lays out three household (gṛhastha) obligations: a father must arrange a timely marriage for an eligible daughter; a husband must fulfill conjugal duty at the appropriate time; and a son must protect and support his mother after the father’s death. Neglect of these is treated as adharma and socially censurable.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Mārkaṇḍeya’s discourse, he states normative rules of conduct for family life, using a triad of examples (father–husband–son) to emphasize responsibility toward dependents and the maintenance of social and moral order.