Shloka 1.25.20
ताटकावृत्तान्तः — The Account of Tāṭakā and the Royal Duty to Protect
विष्णुनापि पुरा राम भृगुपत्नी दृढव्रता।अनिन्द्रं लोकमिच्छन्ती काव्यमाता निषूदिता।।।।
etaiś cānyaiś ca bahubhi rāja-putra mahātmabhiḥ | adharma-sahitā nāryo hatāḥ puruṣa-sattamaiḥ ||
Thus, O prince, by these and by many other great-souled best of men, women allied with adharma were slain for the sake of dharma.
'O Rama! In olden times, Kavya, the mother of Sukracharya, the wife of sage Bhrigu, was destroyed by Vishnu determined to destroy Indra.'
Moral evaluation hinges on alignment with dharma vs. adharma; when a threat is rooted in adharma, even exceptional measures can be framed as protective duty.
Viśvāmitra concludes his argument by generalizing: many exemplary men have slain adharmic women when required for protection.
Impartial justice—responding to conduct and threat, not to gender or status.