Shloka 13
Aṣṭāvakra and the Woman: Disclosure, Permission, and Marital Resolution (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय २२)
भीष्य उवाच सा तदा तेन विप्रेण तथा तेन निवर्तिता । स्वतन्त्रास्मीत्युवाचर्षि न धर्मच्छलमस्ति ते
bhīṣma uvāca sā tadā tena vipreṇa tathā tena nivartitā | svatantrāsmīty uvācārṣi na dharmacchalam asti te ||
ভীষ্ম ক’লে—হে ৰাজন! সেই ব্রহ্মর্ষিয়ে যেতিয়া তাক এনেদৰে নিবৃত্ত কৰিলে, তেতিয়া সি ক’লে, “মই স্বতন্ত্ৰা; হে ঋষি, মোৰ সৈতে মিলনত আপোনাৰ ধৰ্মৰ কোনো ছলনা বা ভংগ নহ’ব।”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical responsibility around intention and consent: if a woman freely chooses (svatantrā) and there is no misuse of dharma as a pretext (dharma-chala), the man is not guilty of a dharmic deception in accepting her.
Bhishma recounts an episode where a brahmarshi attempts to dissuade a woman; she responds that she is independent to decide and assures that union with her would not constitute a deceit or violation of dharma for the man involved.