Shloka 19

Devanagari script

यौवने वर्तमानानां मृष्टाभरणवाससाम्‌ | नारीणां स्वैरवृत्तीनां स्मृहयन्ति कुलस्त्रिय:,जो जवान हैं, सुन्दर गहने और अच्छे कपड़े पहनती हैं, ऐसी स्वेच्छाचारिणी स्त्रियोंके चरित्रको देखकर कितनी ही कुलवती स्त्रियाँ भी वैसी ही बननेकी इच्छा करने लगती हैं

Transliteration

yauvane vartamānānāṁ mṛṣṭābharaṇavāsasām | nārīṇāṁ svairavṛttīnāṁ smṛhayanti kulastriyaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: Wenn man Frauen in der Blüte der Jugend sieht, geschmückt mit feinen Kleinodien und schönen Gewändern, die nach eigenem, ungezügeltem Willen leben, dann beginnen selbst Frauen aus gutem Hause nach einer solchen Lebensweise zu verlangen.

Word by Word

यौवनेin youth

वर्तमानानाम्of those being/remaining (present)

मृष्टfine, elegant

आभरणornaments

वाससाम्of garments/clothes

नारीणाम्of women

स्वैरself-willed, unrestrained

वृत्तीनाम्of conduct/behavior

स्मृहयन्तिdesire, long for

कुलस्त्रियःwomen of good family

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

women (nārī)

women of good family (kulastriyaḥ)

ornaments (ābharaṇa)

garments (vāsas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma highlights the ethical danger of social imitation: when self-willed, pleasure-driven conduct is made attractive through youth, adornment, and display, even respectable people may begin to desire and emulate it. The verse warns that outward glamour can normalize adharma and weaken established standards of restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he comments on how the visible behavior of certain women can influence the aspirations and behavior of women from good families, emphasizing the power of example within society.