Shloka 40
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
नापराधो<स्ति नारीणां नर एवापराध्यति । सर्वकार्यापरा ध्यत्वान्नापरा ध्यन्ति चाड़ना:
nāparādho 'sti nārīṇāṃ nara evāparādhyati | sarvakāryāparā dhyatvān nāparā dhyanti cābalāḥ ||
এনেকুৱা অৱস্থাত স্ত্ৰীৰ কোনো অপৰাধ নাই; অপৰাধ কৰে পুৰুষেই। সকলো কাম-কাজত অশক্ত হোৱাৰ বাবে স্ত্ৰীয়ে বহু সময় পাপকর্মলৈ ঠেলি দিয়া হয়; পৰাধীন হোৱাৰ বাবে তেওঁলোকক দোষিণী বুলিব নোৱাৰি।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes moral blame from mere involvement: when a person lacks autonomy and is compelled by circumstances or control of others, full culpability should not be assigned to them; responsibility lies primarily with the one who exercises agency and initiates the wrongdoing.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is instructing on ethical judgment and social responsibility, arguing that in certain situations women, being constrained and dependent in worldly affairs, should not be treated as the principal offenders; the man who acts with initiative bears the blame.