Shloka 81
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
न चास्ति शक्तिस्त्रैलोक्ये कस्यचित् पुरुषोत्तम । पतिव्रतामिमां साध्वीं तवोद्वीक्षितुमप्युत
na cāsti śaktis trailokye kasyacit puruṣottama | pativratām imāṃ sādhvīṃ tavodvīkṣitum apy uta ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Puruṣottama, dans les trois mondes nul n’a la puissance ne fût-ce que de lever un regard souillé vers ton épouse, chaste et vertueuse, vouée à son mari. Telle est la protection inviolable née de sa fidélité et de ta droiture.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the ethical ideal that a woman’s steadfast fidelity (pativratā-dharma) and virtue create a moral inviolability: lustful or impure intent is portrayed as powerless before chastity supported by dharma.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, addresses “Puruṣottama” and praises the exceptional chastity of the listener’s wife, declaring that no being in the three worlds can even look upon her with a corrupt intention.