Shloka 6

Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy

Devanagari script

अनृताः स्त्रिय इत्येवं सूत्रकारो व्यवस्यति । यदानृताः स्त्रियस्तात सहधर्म: कुतः स्मृत:,धर्मसूत्रकार यह निश्चितरूपसे कहते हैं कि स्त्रियाँ असत्यपरायण होती हैं। तात! जब स्त्रियाँ असत्यवादिनी ही हैं तब उन्हें साथ रखकर सहधर्मका अनुष्ठान कैसे किया जा सकता है?

Translation

The composer of the Dharma-sūtras declares: “Women are untruthful.” O son! If women are indeed given to falsehood, whence is “saha-dharma”—the shared duty—remembered at all? And how can one perform the conjoint dharma while keeping them at one’s side?

Word by Word

अनृताःuntruthful

स्त्रियःwomen

इतिthus/so (quotative)

एवम्in this manner

सूत्रकारःthe sūtra-author

व्यवस्यतिdecides/declares definitively

यदाwhen

अनृताःuntruthful

स्त्रियःwomen

तातdear one!/O son!

सहधर्मःjoint duty; shared religious practice

कुतःwhence?/how (possible)?

स्मृतःis remembered/considered

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Sandhi Notes