Shloka 706
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
कौतूहलं समाविष्ट: प्रविवेश गृहं द्विज: । तत्पश्चात् वे सातों तरुणी स्त्रियाँ बोलीं--/भगवन्! आप घरके भीतर प्रवेश करें।' ऋषिके मनमें उन सुन्दरियोंके तथा उस घरके विषयमें कौतूहल पैदा हो गया था; अतः उन्होंने उस घरमें प्रवेश किया
kautūhalaṃ samāviṣṭaḥ praviveśa gṛhaṃ dvijaḥ | tatpaścāt tāḥ sapta taruṇyaḥ striya ūcuḥ— “bhagavan! bhavān gṛhasya bhitaraṃ praviśatu” | ṛṣeḥ manasi tāsu sundarīṣu tasmin gṛhe ca viṣaye kautūhalaṃ jātaṃ; ataḥ sa tasmin gṛhe praviṣṭaḥ |
Von Neugier ergriffen trat der Brahmane in das Haus ein. Da sprachen die sieben jungen Frauen: „Ehrwürdiger Herr, tretet bitte ein.“ Der Geist des Weisen war durch Staunen über jene schönen Frauen und über das Haus selbst aufgewühlt; darum ging er hinein.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical test: even a learned ascetic can be drawn by curiosity, so one should guard the senses and mind, weighing consequences before entering potentially compromising situations.
A brahmin/sage, intrigued by a house and seven young women, is invited inside; his curiosity leads him to enter, preparing the ground for a moral or dharmic episode that follows.