Shloka 37
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
पत्नीशाला कृता यस्य परेषां वाहिनीमुखम्
patnīśālā kṛtā yasya pareṣāṃ vāhinīmukham
Dijo Ambarīṣa: «Para aquel cuya propia “vanguardia del ejército” se convierte en un “pabellón de esposas” —es decir, cuya punta de lanza marcial queda reducida a un lugar de dependencia doméstica y complacencia—, tal hombre no puede sostenerse con firmeza en los deberes del mando y de la recta conducta.»
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sharp metaphor to warn that a leader who lets sensuality or domestic indulgence dominate his public duty becomes unfit for steadfast, righteous leadership; self-mastery is presented as essential to dharma and governance.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Ambarīṣa speaks in a moralizing tone, criticizing a type of ruler/warrior whose military resolve is metaphorically ‘converted’ into a private pleasure-space, implying loss of discipline and public responsibility.