Shloka 15
बुद्धिर्लज्जा मतिश्वैव पत्न्यो धर्मस्य ता दश | द्वाराण्येतानि धर्मस्य विहितानि स्वयम्भुवा,अब मैं धर्मकी पत्नियोंके नाम बता रहा हूँ, सुनो-कीर्ति, लक्ष्मी, धृति, मेथा, पुष्टि, श्रद्धा, क्रिया, बुद्धि, लज्जा और मति--ये धर्मकी दस पत्रियाँ हैं। स्वयम्भू ब्रह्माजीने इन सबको धर्मका द्वार निश्चित किया है अर्थात् इनके द्वारा धर्ममें प्रवेश होता है
buddhir lajjā matiś caiva patnyo dharmasya tā daśa | dvārāṇy etāni dharmasya vihitāni svayambhuvā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Intelligence, modesty, and discernment—these, together with the others, are the ten wives of Dharma. The Self-born Creator (Svayambhū) has ordained them as the very ‘gateways’ of Dharma—through these qualities one gains entry into righteous living.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is entered and sustained through inner virtues—especially clear intelligence (buddhi), modest restraint (lajjā), and right-minded discernment (mati). These qualities are portrayed as ‘gateways’ established by the Creator, indicating that ethical life begins with cultivated character.
Vaiśampāyana continues a genealogical-cosmological account by listing Dharma’s consorts and explaining their function: they are not merely names but personified virtues, declared by Svayambhū (Brahmā) to be the doors through which beings approach and practice Dharma.