03.196
पतिव्रतोपाख्यानम्
The story of a devoted wife.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा मार्कण्डेयं महाद्युतिम्। पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठो धर्मप्रश्नं सुदुर्वचम् ॥०३-१९६-१॥
Then King Yudhishthira, best of the Bharatas, asked the illustrious Markandeya a profound question about dharma, which was extremely difficult to answer. (03-196-1)
श्रोतुमिच्छामि भगवन्स्त्रीणां माहात्म्यमुत्तमम्। कथ्यमानं त्वया विप्र सूक्ष्मं धर्मं च तत्त्वतः ॥०३-१९६-२॥
I wish to hear from you, O revered one, the supreme greatness of women, as well as the subtle and true dharma, as narrated by you, O brāhmaṇa. (03-196-2)
प्रत्यक्षेण हि विप्रर्षे देवा दृश्यन्ति सत्तम। सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ वायुः पृथिवी वह्निरेव च ॥०३-१९६-३॥
Indeed, O best of Brāhmaṇa sages, the gods can be seen directly—namely, the Sun and the Moon, Wind, Earth, and Fire. (3-196-3)
पिता माता च भगवन्गाव एव च सत्तम। यच्चान्यदेव विहितं तच्चापि भृगुनन्दन ॥०३-१९६-४॥
Father, mother, and cows, O venerable one, are to be revered, as well as anything else prescribed, O descendant of Bhrigu. (03-196-4)
मन्येऽहं गुरुवत्सर्वमेकपत्न्यस्तथा स्त्रियः। पतिव्रतानां शुश्रूषा दुष्करा प्रतिभाति मे ॥०३-१९६-५॥
I think that, just as towards a teacher, all monogamous women likewise, the service of devoted wives appears difficult to me. (03-196-5)
पतिव्रतानां माहात्म्यं वक्तुमर्हसि नः प्रभो। निरुध्य चेन्द्रियग्रामं मनः संरुध्य चानघ ॥ पतिं दैवतवच्चापि चिन्तयन्त्यः स्थिता हि याः ॥०३-१९६-६॥
O lord, you are fit to tell us about the greatness of devoted wives—those who, truly having restrained their senses and controlled their minds, always remain thinking of their husband as a deity. (03-196-6)
भगवन्दुष्करं ह्येतत्प्रतिभाति मम प्रभो। मातापितृषु शुश्रूषा स्त्रीणां भर्तृषु च द्विज ॥०३-१९६-७॥
O Lord, this seems extremely difficult to me, O master: serving one’s mother and father, and, for women, serving their husbands, O twice-born. (03-196-7)
स्त्रीणां धर्मात्सुघोराद्धि नान्यं पश्यामि दुष्करम्। साध्वाचाराः स्त्रियो ब्रह्मन्यत्कुर्वन्ति सदादृताः ॥ दुष्करं बत कुर्वन्ति पितरो मातरश्च वै ॥०३-१९६-८॥
Indeed, O Brahman, I see no other difficult task more terrible than the duty of women. The women of virtuous conduct always do what is to be respected. Indeed, fathers and mothers also perform difficult deeds. (03-196-8)
एकपत्न्यश्च या नार्यो याश्च सत्यं वदन्त्युत। कुक्षिणा दश मासांश्च गर्भं सन्धारयन्ति याः ॥ नार्यः कालेन सम्भूय किमद्भुततरं ततः ॥०३-१९६-९॥
Women who have only one husband, and who truly speak the truth, who also bear an embryo in their womb for ten months—women, by uniting in due season—what is more wonderful than that? (03-196-9)
संशयं परमं प्राप्य वेदनामतुलामपि। प्रजायन्ते सुतान्नार्यो दुःखेन महता विभो ॥ पुष्णन्ति चापि महता स्नेहेन द्विजसत्तम ॥०३-१९६-१०॥
Having reached the utmost uncertainty and experiencing even immeasurable pain, O noble one, women give birth to sons with great suffering. And, O best of twice-born, they also raise them with immense affection. (3-196-10)
ये च क्रूरेषु सर्वेषु वर्तमाना जुगुप्सिताः। स्वकर्म कुर्वन्ति सदा दुष्करं तच्च मे मतम् ॥०३-१९६-११॥
Those who exist among all cruel beings, who are to be despised, always perform their own actions—which are difficult; that is my view. (03-196-11)
क्षत्रधर्मसमाचारं तथ्यं चाख्याहि मे द्विज। धर्मः सुदुर्लभो विप्र नृशंसेन दुरात्मना ॥०३-१९६-१२॥
O brāhmaṇa, tell me truly about the conduct of the kṣatriya's duty. Righteousness, O brāhmaṇa, is very hard to attain for a cruel, wicked man. (03-196-12)
एतदिच्छामि भगवन्प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदां वर। श्रोतुं भृगुकुलश्रेष्ठ शुश्रूषे तव सुव्रत ॥०३-१९६-१३॥
O venerable one, I desire to ask this question to you, best among those skilled in questions; O best of the Bhṛgu lineage, I am eager to listen to you, O righteous one. (03-196-13)
मार्कण्डेय उवाच॥
Markandeya said.
हन्त ते सर्वमाख्यास्ये प्रश्नमेतं सुदुर्वचम्। तत्त्वेन भरतश्रेष्ठ गदतस्तन्निबोध मे ॥०३-१९६-१४॥
Indeed, O best of the Bharatas, I shall tell you in truth this question, which is very difficult to answer; listen to that from me. (03-196-14)
मातरं सदृशीं तात पितॄनन्ये च मन्यते। दुष्करं कुरुते माता विवर्धयति या प्रजाः ॥०३-१९६-१५॥
O dear one, others consider the mother to be equal to the fathers; but mother does the very difficult thing—she who raises her children. (3-196-15)
तपसा देवतेज्याभिर्वन्दनेन तितिक्षया। अभिचारैरुपायैश्च ईहन्ते पितरः सुतान् ॥०३-१९६-१६॥
Fathers strive to benefit their sons by means such as austerity, offerings to the gods, reverence, forbearance, magical rites, and other methods. (03-196-16)
एवं कृच्छ्रेण महता पुत्रं प्राप्य सुदुर्लभम्। चिन्तयन्ति सदा वीर कीदृशोऽयं भविष्यति ॥०३-१९६-१७॥
Thus, after obtaining, with great difficulty, a son so hard to attain, people always wonder, O hero, what will this child become. (03-196-17)
आशंसते च पुत्रेषु पिता माता च भारत। यशः कीर्तिमथैश्वर्यं प्रजा धर्मं तथैव च ॥०३-१९६-१८॥
O Bhārata, both father and mother desire in their sons fame, renown, prosperity, offspring, and virtue alike. (03-196-18)
तयोराशां तु सफलां यः करोति स धर्मवित्। पिता माता च राजेन्द्र तुष्यतो यस्य नित्यदा ॥ इह प्रेत्य च तस्याथ कीर्तिर्धर्मश्च शाश्वतः ॥०३-१९६-१९॥
O King, he who fulfils the hopes of both (his) father and mother is truly a knower of dharma; with such a person, the father and mother are always pleased. For him, both here and after death, fame and dharma remain eternal. (03-196-19)
नैव यज्ञः स्त्रियः कश्चिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम्। या तु भर्तरि शुश्रूषा तया स्वर्गमुपाश्नुते ॥०३-१९६-२०॥
There is neither sacrifice nor śrāddha nor fasting (prescribed) for women. But the woman who serves her husband attains heaven by that. (03-196-20)
एतत्प्रकरणं राजन्नधिकृत्य युधिष्ठिर। प्रतिव्रतानां नियतं धर्मं चावहितः शृणु ॥०३-१९६-२१॥
O king Yudhiṣṭhira, having taken up this section, attentively listen to the established duty of devoted wives. (03-196-21)
