Shloka 18
दमयन्ती–बाहुकसंवादः
Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure
क्व नु त्वं कितवच्छित्त्वा बस्त्रार्थ प्रस्थितो मम । उत्सृज्य विपिने सुप्तामनुरक्तां प्रियां प्रिय,'“ओ जुआरी प्रियतम! तुम अपने प्रति अनुराग रखनेवाली वनमें सोयी हुई मुझ प्यारी पत्नीको छोड़कर तथा मेरे आधे वस्त्रको फाड़कर कहाँ चल दिये?
kva nu tvaṃ kitavac chittvā vastrārthaṃ prasthito mama | utsṛjya vipine suptām anuraktāṃ priyāṃ priya ||
巴胡迦说道：“你去了哪里，嗜赌的爱人啊？你撕裂我的衣裳为自己遮体之后，竟往何处而去？你怎能启程，把在林中沉睡、对你情深不渝的爱妻——我——弃置不顾？”
बाहक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse censures irresponsible conduct driven by vice (gambling): taking what is not rightly one’s own (tearing another’s cloth) and neglecting one’s primary duty of care toward a devoted spouse. It frames ethical failure as both harm to others and betrayal of relational obligations.
Bāhaka confronts a man addressed as a ‘gambler,’ accusing him of tearing off part of Bāhaka’s garment and departing, while leaving behind his affectionate wife asleep in the forest—highlighting both theft-like behavior and abandonment.