Text 18
naitādṛśānāṁ sva-jana-vyapekṣayā
gṛhān pratīyād anavasthitātmanām
ye ’bhyāgatān vakra-dhiyābhicakṣate
āropita-bhrūbhir amarṣaṇākṣibhiḥ
na — not; etādṛśānām — like this; sva-jana — kinsmen; vyapekṣayā — depending on that; gṛhān — in the house of; pratīyāt — one should go; anavasthita — disturbed; ātmanām — mind; ye — those; abhyāgatān — guests; vakra-dhiyā — with a cold reception; abhicakṣate — looking at; āropita-bhrūbhiḥ — with raised eyebrows; amarṣaṇa — angry; akṣibhiḥ — with the eyes.
One should not go to anyone’s house, even on the consideration of his being a relative or a friend, when the man is disturbed in his mind and looks upon the guest with raised eyebrows and angry eyes.
However low a person may be, he is never unkind to his children, wife and nearest kin; even a tiger is kind to its cubs, for within the animal kingdom the cubs are treated very nicely. Since Satī was the daughter of Dakṣa, however cruel and contaminated he might be, naturally it was expected that he would receive her very nicely. But here it is indicated by the word anavasthita that such a person cannot be trusted. Tigers are very kind to their cubs, but it is also known that sometimes they eat them. Malicious persons should not be trusted, because they are always unsteady. Thus Satī was advised not to go to her father’s house because to accept such a father as a relative and to go to his house without being properly invited was not suitable.