Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 103
Vipula’s Guru-Obedience, Divine Flowers, and the Peril of Others’ Oaths (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—पुष्पप्राप्तिः शपथ-प्रसङ्गश्च)
बृहस्पतिप्रभृतिभिरमर्मन्ये सद्धि: कृतानि वै । शत्रुघाती नरेश! मुझे तो ऐसा लगता है कि स्त्रियोंकी बुद्धिमें जो अर्थ भरा है
bṛhaspatiprabhṛtibhir amarmanye saddhiḥ kṛtāni vai | śatrughātī nareśa! muhe to evaṃ lagatā hai ki striyoṃ kī buddhimeṃ yo artha bharā hai, usīkā niṣkarṣa (sārāṃśa) lekara bṛhaspati ādi satpuruṣoṃ ne nītiśāstrōṃ kī racanā kī hai |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O king, slayer of foes! I am convinced that the treatises on polity and right conduct composed by noble sages such as Bṛhaspati were fashioned by extracting the very essence of the meaning and practical wisdom that resides in women’s intelligence.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises women’s practical discernment and suggests that authoritative works on ethics and statecraft (nītiśāstra), even those attributed to great sages like Bṛhaspati, reflect a distilled essence of that lived, meaningful intelligence—highlighting respect for experiential wisdom as a source of dharmic counsel.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king (styled ‘slayer of foes’) while discussing principles of conduct and governance, and he underscores that renowned ethical/political teachings can be seen as drawn from the insightful understanding found in women.