Shloka 93
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
तथा शतसहस्रेषु यदि काचित् पतिव्रता । स्त्री बोली--ब्रह्मन! वायु, अग्नि, वरुण तथा अन्य देवता भी स्त्रियोंको वैसे प्रिय नहीं हैं, जैसा उन्हें काम प्रिय लगता है; क्योंकि स्त्रियाँ स्वभावत: रतिकी इच्छुक होती हैं। सहस्रों नारियोंमें कभी कोई एक ऐसी स्त्री मिलती है जो रतिलोलुप न हो तथा लाखों स्त्रियोंमें शायद ही कोई एक पतिव्रता मिल सके ।। ९१-९२ $ ।। नैता जानन्ति पितरं न कुलं न च मातरम्
tathā śatasahasreṣu yadi kācit pativratā | strī bolī—brahman! vāyuḥ agniḥ varuṇaḥ tathā anya-devatā api strīṇāṃ tādṛśaṃ priyā na bhavanti yathā tāḥ kāmaḥ priyaḥ | yataḥ striyaḥ svabhāvataḥ rati-icchukāḥ | sahasreṣu nārīṣu kadācit ekā eva tādṛśī strī labhyate yā rati-lolupā na syāt tathā lakṣeṣu strīṣu prāyaḥ ekā eva pativratā labhyeta || (91–92) | naitā jānanti pitaraṃ na kulaṃ na ca mātaram ||
Aṣṭāvakra says: “Among hundreds of thousands, if there is even one truly devoted wife, she is rare indeed.” A woman replies: “O brāhmaṇa, even Vāyu, Agni, Varuṇa, and the other gods are not as dear to women as desire itself is; for women, by nature, seek sexual pleasure. Among thousands of women, one may scarcely be found who is not driven by lust; and among hundreds of thousands, perhaps only one may be found who is faithful to her husband.” (The passage continues:) “Such women do not recognize father, lineage, or even mother…”
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a moral-social claim about the rarity of pativratā (exclusive marital fidelity) and contrasts it with the power of kāma (desire). In the ethical register of the Anuśāsana Parva, it functions as a cautionary, normative statement about self-control and sexual conduct, though it is voiced in a polemical, generalized manner.
Aṣṭāvakra speaks about women and fidelity; then a woman responds directly to a brāhmaṇa, asserting that desire is dearest to women and that truly faithful wives are extremely rare. The next line indicates the continuation of her critique, claiming such women disregard even family ties.