Shloka 10
Vipula’s Yogic Protection of the Guru’s Household (विपुलस्य योगरक्षा / Vipulasya Yogarakṣā)
इत्युक्ता सा कृतमतिरभवच्चारुहासिनी । स्त्रीदोषान् शाश्वतान् सत्यान् भाषितुं सम्प्रचक्रमे
ity uktā sā kṛtamatir abhavac cāru-hāsinī | strī-doṣān śāśvatān satyān bhāṣituṁ sampracakrame ||
Thus addressed, she—the charming, smiling one—became firm in resolve. She then began to speak, setting forth what she regarded as the enduring and truthful shortcomings found in women, as part of the moral instruction being conveyed.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a didactic moment: after being instructed, the speaker becomes resolute and begins to articulate a moralized list of perceived, recurring human (here, specifically ‘women’s’) faults, presented as ‘true’ and ‘enduring’ within the discourse’s ethical agenda.
Bhishma reports that, after being addressed, a charming, smiling female figure (implied by the feminine descriptors) steels her resolve and starts speaking, initiating a section that enumerates ‘women’s faults’ as part of the ongoing instruction.