Shloka 46

Putra-Bheda: Kṣetraja, Kṛtaka, Apasada, and Saṃskāra Determinations (पुत्रभेद-निर्णयः)

Devanagari script

पूज्या लालयितव्याश्ष स्त्रियो नित्यं जनाधिप । नरेश्वर! यदि स्त्रीकी रुचि पूर्ण न की जाय तो वह अपने पतिको प्रसन्न नहीं कर सकती और उस अवस्थामें उस पुरुषकी संतानवृद्धि नहीं हो सकती। इसलिये सदा ही स्त्रियोंका सत्कार और दुलार करना चाहिये,भरतनन्दन! स्त्रियाँ ही घरकी लक्ष्मी होती हैं। उन्नति चाहनेवाले पुरुषको उनका भलीभाँति सत्कार करना चाहिये। अपने वशमें रखकर उनका पालन करनेसे स्त्री श्री (लक्ष्मी)-का स्वरूप बन जाती है ।। इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि विवाहधर्मे स्त्रीप्रशंसा नाम षट्चत्वारिंशो5ध्याय:

Transliteration

pūjyā lālayitavyāś ca striyo nityaṃ janādhipa | nareśvara! yadi strīkī ruci pūrṇa na kīyate to sā svapatiṃ prasannaṃ na karoti, tathā ca tasminn avasthāyāṃ tasya puruṣasya santāna-vṛddhir na bhavati | tasmāt sadā strīṇāṃ satkāraś ca lālanaṃ ca kartavyam, bharatanandana! striya eva gṛhasya lakṣmī bhavanti | unnatiṃ kāṅkṣatā puruṣeṇa tāsāṃ yathāvat satkāraḥ kartavyaḥ | sva-vaśe sthāpayitvā pālanena strī śrī-rūpā bhavati ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O ruler of men, women should always be honored and treated with affectionate care. If a woman’s wishes and inclinations are not fulfilled, she cannot remain pleased with her husband; and in such a condition, the man’s line does not prosper through offspring. Therefore, O descendant of Bharata, one should continually show women respect and tenderness. Women are indeed the Lakshmi of the household. A man who seeks prosperity should honor them properly; when he maintains and protects them within the order of the household, the woman becomes the very embodiment of Śrī (fortune).”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'pūjyā', 'definition': 'worthy of honor

• to be revered'}, {'term': 'lālayitavyāḥ', 'definition': 'to be cherished/caressed

• to be treated with affectionate care'}, {'term': 'striyaḥ', 'definition': 'women'}, {'term': 'nityaṃ', 'definition': 'always

• continually'}, {'term': 'janādhipa / nareśvara', 'definition': 'lord of the people

• king'}, {'term': 'ruci', 'definition': 'liking, preference, wish, inclination'}, {'term': 'prasanna', 'definition': 'pleased, satisfied, gracious'}, {'term': 'pati / svapati', 'definition': 'husband

• one’s own husband'}, {'term': 'santāna-vṛddhi', 'definition': 'increase/prosperity of progeny

• growth of lineage'}, {'term': 'satkāra', 'definition': 'honor, respectful reception, proper regard'}, {'term': 'bharatanandana', 'definition': 'delighter of the Bharatas

• epithet addressing the Kuru king'}, {'term': 'gṛhasya lakṣmī', 'definition': 'the fortune/auspicious prosperity of the household'}, {'term': 'unnati', 'definition': 'rise, advancement, prosperity'}, {'term': 'sva-vaśe sthāpayitvā', 'definition': 'having kept within one’s governance/household order (lit. ‘in one’s control’)'}, {'term': 'pālana', 'definition': 'protection, maintenance, care'}, {'term': 'śrī-rūpā', 'definition': 'having the form of Śrī

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira (implied addressee: janādhipa, nareśvara, bharatanandana)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that household prosperity and continuity of lineage depend on honoring women with respect and affectionate care; women are described as the household’s Lakṣmī, and proper regard for them is presented as a key element of gṛhastha-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here, within the discussion of marriage duties and praise of women (strī-praśaṃsā), he emphasizes the ethical and practical necessity of treating women with honor and tenderness for domestic harmony and prosperity.