Shloka 2
Virtue and Vice — Chanakya Niti
जल्पन्ति सार्धमन्येन पश्यन्त्यन्यं सविभ्रमाः ।
हृदये चिन्तयन्त्यन्यं न स्त्रीणामेकतो रतिः ॥
jalpanti sārdham anyena paśyanty anyaṃ savibhramāḥ |
hṛdaye cintayanty anyaṃ na strīṇām ekato ratiḥ ||
They speak with one man, yet coquettishly look at another; in the heart they think of someone else. A woman’s attachment does not stay with one alone.
FAQs
In the broader nīti-śāstra and subhāṣita traditions, such verses often function as cautionary commonplaces within elite male-centered social and political discourse. They reflect premodern anxieties about trust, fidelity, and social reputation, and are frequently framed as observations meant to support prudential judgment in household and courtly life rather than as empirical social description.
The verse characterizes “rati” (attachment/affection) as unstable or non-exclusive when attributed to women, presenting a generalized claim that affection is not directed “ekataḥ” (toward one alone). This is conveyed as a categorical statement within the text’s didactic voice, representing a normative-cultural stereotype rather than a contextualized individual account.
The verse uses a triadic structure—speech, gaze, and heart/mind (jalpanti/paśyanti/cintayanti)—to depict outward behavior versus inward intention. The term “savibhramāḥ” can suggest coquettish play (vibhrama as amorous/expressive gesture) and also carries a semantic range including disturbance or confusion, reinforcing a motif of performative exteriority contrasted with hidden thought.