Shloka 19
Vipula’s Yogic Protection of the Guru’s Household (विपुलस्य योगरक्षा / Vipulasya Yogarakṣā)
यौवने वर्तमानानां मृष्टाभरणवाससाम् | नारीणां स्वैरवृत्तीनां स्मृहयन्ति कुलस्त्रिय:
yauvane vartamānānāṁ mṛṣṭābharaṇavāsasām | nārīṇāṁ svairavṛttīnāṁ smṛhayanti kulastriyaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Seeing women in the bloom of youth, adorned with fine ornaments and garments, and living by their own unchecked will, even women of good family begin to long for such a way of life.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights the ethical danger of social imitation: when self-willed, pleasure-driven conduct is made attractive through youth, adornment, and display, even respectable people may begin to desire and emulate it. The verse warns that outward glamour can normalize adharma and weaken established standards of restraint.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he comments on how the visible behavior of certain women can influence the aspirations and behavior of women from good families, emphasizing the power of example within society.