Shloka 7
Putra-Bheda: Kṣetraja, Kṛtaka, Apasada, and Saṃskāra Determinations (पुत्रभेद-निर्णयः)
जामीश पप्तानि गेहानि निकृत्तानीव कृत्यया । नैव भान्ति न वर्धन्ते श्रिया हीनानि पार्थिव
jāmīṣu praptāni gehāni nikṛttānīva kṛtyayā | naiva bhānti na vardhante śriyā hīnāni pārthiva ||
Bhishma said: When the women of a family—its daughters and daughters-in-law—are driven into grief by suffering, that lineage moves toward ruin. The houses they, in their dejection, curse become desolate, as though cut down by a malignant rite. O king, homes bereft of prosperity neither shine with dignity nor grow in strength.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A family’s stability and prosperity depend on the well-being and honor of its women; when they are made to suffer and become grief-stricken, the household loses auspiciousness (śrī) and declines, as if struck by a destructive force.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on conduct and social duty, he warns that neglecting or harming the women of a lineage leads to curses, loss of prosperity, and the desolation of homes.