ऋताव् ऋतौ राजपुत्रि स्त्रिया भर्ता यतव्रते ॥
नातिवर्तव्य इत्य् एवं धर्मं धर्मविदो विदुः ॥
शेषेष्व् अन्येषु कालेषु स्वातन्त्र्यं स्त्री किलार्हति ॥
धर्मम् एतं जनाः सन्तः पुराणं परिचक्षते ॥
भर्ता भार्यां राजपुत्रि धर्म्यं वाधर्म्यम् एव वा ॥
यद् ब्रूयात् तत् तथा कार्यम् इति धर्मविदो विदुः ॥
विशेषतः पुत्रगृद्धी हीनः प्रजननात् स्वयम् ॥
यथाहम् अनवद्याङ्गि पुत्रदर्शनलालसः ॥
तथा रक्ताङ्गुलितलः पद्मपत्रनिभः शुभे ॥
प्रसादार्थं मया ते ऽयं शिरस्य् अभ्युद्यतो ऽञ्जलिः ॥
मन्नियोगात् सुकेशान्ते द्विजातेस् तपसाधिकात् ॥
पुत्रान् गुणसमायुक्तान् उत्पादयितुम् अर्हसि ॥
त्वत्कृते ऽहं पृथुश्रोणि गच्छेयं पुत्रिणां गतिम् ॥
ṛtāv ṛtau rājaputri striyā bhartā yatavrate ||
nātivartavya ity evaṃ dharmaṃ dharmavido viduḥ ||
śeṣeṣv anyeṣu kāleṣu svātantryaṃ strī kilārhati ||
dharmam etaṃ janāḥ santaḥ purāṇaṃ paricakṣate ||
bhartā bhāryāṃ rājaputri dharmyaṃ vādharmyam eva vā ||
yad brūyāt tat tathā kāryam iti dharmavido viduḥ ||
viśeṣataḥ putragṛddhī hīnaḥ prajananāt svayam ||
yathāham anavadyāṅgi putradarśanalālasaḥ ||
tathā raktāṅgulitalaḥ padmapatranibhaḥ śubhe ||
prasādārthaṃ mayā te 'yaṃ śirasy abhyudyato 'ñjaliḥ ||
manniyogāt sukeśānte dvijātes tapasādhikāt ||
putrān guṇasamāyuktān utpādayitum arhasi ||
tvatkṛte 'haṃ pṛthuśroṇi gaccheyaṃ putriṇāṃ gatim ||
«In each fertile season, O princess, a wife must not transgress against a husband who keeps his vow — such is the dharma known to the knowers of dharma; in the remaining, other times, a woman, they say, is entitled to independence; this dharma the righteous call ancient. Whatever a husband, O princess, may say to his wife — righteous or even unrighteous — that must be done accordingly, so know the knowers of dharma. All the more so for me, longing for a son, myself deprived of the power to beget, as I, O flawless-limbed one, pine with longing to see a son — thus, with reddened fingertips and palms like lotus petals, O auspicious one, for the sake of your favor I have raised to my head these joined palms in supplication. By my command, O lovely-haired one, you must beget from a twice-born one surpassing in austerity sons endowed with virtues; thanks to you, O broad-hipped one, may I attain the state of those who have sons».
03efe93f498e · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here Pandu concludes his exhortation with a plea — the king, hands joined, begs his wife. His humility is telling: the sovereign entreats his wife, bowing his head — love for the future son and duty to the ancestors humble his pride. More difficult is the saying that a wife must fulfill her husband's command, "righteous or unrighteous." This must be understood in the light of the higher dharma: unconditional obedience applies only to what is permitted; one must not obey even a husband, or even a guru, in what is contrary to the will of God, for the highest loyalty is to the Lord. Here, however, Pandu asks not for sin but for a deed sanctified by dharma and by his own direct consent — so Kunti's obedience will not be a transgression but a fulfillment of dharma. Thus the scripture shows both the touching humility of the husband and the fine boundary of obedience: the wife follows her husband in dharma, but not in wrongdoing.