Shloka 66
Adhyaya 21 — Kuvalayashva’s Descent to Patala and the Rescue of Madalasa
कुण्डलोवाच पुंभिरप्यमितप्रज्ञ नोपदेशो भवद्विधे । दातव्यः किमुत स्त्रीभिरतो नोपदिशामि ते ॥
kuṇḍalovāca puṃbhir apy amita-prajña nopadeśo bhavad-vidhe / dātavyaḥ kim uta strībhir ato nopadiśāmi te
Kuṇḍalā said: “O man of boundless understanding, counsel is not to be given even to men of your sort—how much less to women. Therefore I shall not instruct you.”
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds restraint in giving counsel: advice should be offered only where it will be received and beneficial. It also sets up a rhetorical turn—despite initial refusal, the speaker proceeds to convey household dharma, implying that compassion and responsibility can override reluctance.
Primarily outside the pañcalakṣaṇa core (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to dharma/nīti instruction embedded in narrative (ancillary didactic material common in Purāṇas).
On a symbolic level, ‘upadeśa’ represents transmission of dharma; the caution suggests that wisdom requires readiness (adhikāra). The coming verses pivot from social critique to the integrative principle of partnership, hinting that dharma is upheld through complementarity rather than isolation.