King Duṣyanta sat before a gentle lady who had approached him, reminding him of their union. Yet, even after hearing her words and recalling her presence, the king replied, “I do not remember our union, O gentle lady. I do not wish to engage in union in vain; this is my resolve. I do not recall, O blessed one, any union with you. I do not remember any connection of righteousness, wealth, or desire with you. Go or stay as you wish, or do whatever else you desire.” Hearing these words, the lady’s eyes reddened with anger and indignation. Her lips quivered, and she cast a sideways glance at the king, as if her gaze could burn him. Though her heart was agitated by anger, she concealed her expression and restrained the energy she had gained through her austerities. After reflecting for a moment, filled with grief and indignation, she looked at her husband and spoke words fitting for the moment. “O great king,” she said, “though you know, why do you speak in this way? You say you do not know, just as an ordinary man would, and without hesitation. Your heart knows both truth and falsehood. Alas, you disregard your own self, which is the witness, O blessed one. He who, being one thing, behaves as another—what sin has he not committed? He is like a thief who steals his own self. You think you are alone, but you do not know the ancient sage in your heart, who knows the deeds of sin; in his presence, you commit wrong. For righteousness alone is the cause of welfare for all the virtuous. It is always free from falsehood, and it brings no sorrow. One may think, having done evil, ‘No one knows me,’ but the gods know, as does the inner soul. The sun, the moon, the wind, and fire; the sky, the earth, the waters, the heart, and Yama; day and night, both twilights, and Dharma—all know the conduct of a man. Yama, son of Vivasvat, dispenses punishment for his evil deeds; the witness to his actions, the knower of the field who dwells in the heart, is pleased with the righteous. But if this inner witness is not pleased with a wicked man, then Yama reproaches that evil-doer for his misdeeds. He who disregards his own self and acts otherwise—such a man, for whom even his own self is not a cause, does not attain the blessings of the gods. Do not think of me as easily obtained, nor look down upon your devoted wife. Though worthy of worship, you do not honor me, your wife, who stands before you. Why do you treat me like an ordinary woman in this assembly? Surely, I am not speaking these words in vain—why do you not listen to me? If you do not fulfill the words I, who am pleading with you, speak, O Duṣyanta, then today your head will split into a hundred pieces. When a husband unites with his wife and a child is born from her, that is truly her offspring—the ancient sages have declared this. When a son is born to a man who follows the proper path, that son, by his lineage, delivers his forefathers and ancestors. A son saves his father from the hell called Put, and therefore he is called ‘putra’—this was declared long ago by the Self-born. By a son, men conquer the worlds; by a grandson, they attain endlessness; and by the son of a grandson, great-grandfathers rejoice. She is a wife who is skilled in the household, she is a wife who bears children, she is a wife whose life is devoted to her husband, she is a wife who is faithful. A wife is half of a man; a wife is his best friend; a wife is the root of the three aims of life; he who has a wife is truly connected. Householders with wives perform their duties; those with wives are joyful; those with wives are endowed with prosperity. In solitude, wives are pleasant companions; in matters of duty, they are like fathers; in times of distress, they are like mothers. Who, on a journey, finds rest even in the wilderness? He who has a wife is to be trusted; therefore, a wife is the highest refuge. When a man is beset by difficulties and misfortune, it is only the devoted wife who always follows her husband. The wife, having departed first, waits for her husband after death; but if the husband dies first, she follows him thereafter. For this reason, O King, marriage is approved: whatever the husband attains, the wife shares, both in this world and the next. For the nourishment of the body, provisions are needed even in heaven; the son, born from oneself, is called ‘self’ by the wise. Therefore, a husband should regard his wife as a mother, and the mother of his son; for the inner self of all is always called the son. The movements, form, actions, tendencies, and marks seen in the fathers are also found in the sons. Their character, virtues, and conduct—by contact, whether auspicious or inauspicious—are reflected in the son born of the wife, just as one’s own face is seen in a mirror. The father rejoices on seeing his son, as a virtuous man rejoices on attaining heaven; but those who bear the form of a devoted wife, yet accept another’s seed—destroying the lineage of their husbands, they go to terrible hell. Sons born from another in one’s own wife, as desired—though considered ‘my sons,’ such sons are in fact enemies; they hate, oppose, and do not obey their supposed father. The father also hates them, but not so with his own seed, O King; a son does not hate his father or his true begetter. Nor does the begetter hate his son; therefore, the son is truly one’s own self. Even when tormented by mental sorrows and severe diseases, a person—” Thus, she spoke, revealing the truth of their union and the sacredness of their bond, reminding the king of the righteousness and the deep connection between husband and wife, and the importance of acknowledging one’s own self, lineage, and duty.