Shloka 10

Devanagari script

स्त्रीप्रत्ययो हि वै धर्मो रतिभोगाश्ष केवला: । परिचर्या नमस्कारास्तदायत्ता भवन्तु व:,महाराज मनु जब स्वर्गको जाने लगे तब उन्होंने स्त्रियोंको पुरुषोंके हाथमें सौंप दिया और कहा--'मनुष्यो! स्त्रियाँ अबला, थोड़ेसे वस्त्रोंस काम चलानेवाली, अकारण हितसाधन करनेवाली, सत्यलोकको जीतनेकी इच्छावाली (सत्यपरायणा), ईर्ष्यालु, मान चाहनेवाली, अत्यन्त कोप करनेवाली, पुरुषके प्रति मैत्रीभाव रखनेवाली और भोली-भाली होती हैं। स्त्रियाँ सम्मान पानेके योग्य हैं, अतः तुम सब लोग उनका सम्मान करो; क्योंकि सत्री-जाति ही धर्मकी सिद्धिका मूल कारण है। तुम्हारे रतिभोग, परिचर्या और नमस्कार स्त्रियोंक ही अधीन होंगे

Transliteration

Bhīṣma uvāca: strīpratyayo hi vai dharmo ratibhogāś ca kevalāḥ | paricaryā namaskārās tadāyattā bhavantu vaḥ, mahārāja ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Indeed, dharma rests upon women as its foundation. Your pleasures of love, your service, and your acts of reverence all depend upon them, O great king. Therefore let these—enjoyment, attendance, and respectful salutations—be directed with awareness of their dependence on women, and let women be honored as essential to the fulfillment of righteous life.”

Word by Word

स्त्रीwoman; wife (as a class-term here)

प्रत्ययःdependence; reliance; support

हिindeed; for

वैcertainly; indeed

धर्मःdharma; righteousness; duty

रतिःsexual pleasure; enjoyment

भोगाःenjoyments; indulgences

चand

केवलाःonly; merely; exclusively

परिचर्याservice; attendance

नमस्काराःsalutations; respectful greetings

तत्by that; thereby

आयत्ताःdependent (on); subject to

भवन्तुlet (them) be; may (they) become

वःof you; your

महाराजO great king

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Mahārāja (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

strī (women, as a social category)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that dharma is sustained through women, and therefore men’s key aspects of household life—intimacy, service, and reverence—are dependent on women; ethically, it urges honoring and respecting women as integral to righteous living.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), teaching norms of conduct and social ethics; here he emphasizes the indispensable role of women in sustaining dharma and the duties of respect toward them.