मन्दपाल उवाच
न स्त्रीणां विद्यते किं चिद् अन्यत्र पुरुषान्तरात् ॥
सापत्नकम् ऋते लोके भवितव्यं हि तत् तथा ॥
सुव्रतापि हि कल्याणी सर्वलोकपरिश्रुता ॥
अरुन्धती पर्यशङ्कद् वसिष्ठम् ऋषिसत्तमम् ॥
विशुद्धभावम् अत्यन्तं सदा प्रियहिते रतम् ॥
सप्तर्षिमध्यगं वीरम् अवमेने च तं मुनिम् ॥
अपध्यानेन सा तेन धूमारुणसमप्रभा ॥
लक्ष्यालक्ष्या नाभिरूपा निमित्तम् इव लक्ष्यते ॥
mandapāla uvāca
na strīṇāṃ vidyate kiṃ cid anyatra puruṣāntarāt ||
sāpatnakam ṛte loke bhavitavyaṃ hi tat tathā ||
suvratāpi hi kalyāṇī sarvalokapariśrutā ||
arundhatī paryaśaṅkad vasiṣṭham ṛṣisattamam ||
viśuddhabhāvam atyantaṃ sadā priyahite ratam ||
saptarṣimadhyagaṃ vīram avamene ca taṃ munim ||
apadhyānena sā tena dhūmāruṇasamaprabhā ||
lakṣyālakṣyā nābhirūpā nimittam iva lakṣyate ||
Mandapala said: “Women value nothing above another man; rivalry among wives in this world is inevitable, so it must be; for even the virtuous, auspicious, all-world-renowned Arundhati once doubted Vasishtha, the best of seers; him, utterly pure in heart, ever devoted to her welfare and happiness, the hero among the seven seers, she disparaged, that sage; because of that evil thought she became the color of smoky red, now seen, now not, not bright, appearing as if an omen.”
d263c0821ad6 · publicado 12 jul 2026, 18:20:36 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
Here the wounded husband, in his bitterness, generalizes about the nature of women and recalls an ancient tale. It must be understood: this is the partial speech of one who feels wronged, not scripture's verdict on wives; for Arundhati herself — a star in the constellation of the Seven Seers — is honored as the model of a faithful wife, and here only her single lapse is recalled as a warning against suspicion. Here it is shown that even in the exalted a moment's distrust can arise, dimming their inner light, and that mutual trust preserves marital harmony. So the scripture reveals Mandapala's bitter argument; and the tale next moves toward reconciliation.