Shloka 16
Aṣṭāvakra and the Woman: Disclosure, Permission, and Marital Resolution (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय २२)
अद्टावक्र उवाच हरन्ति दोषजातानि नरं जात॑ यथेच्छकम् | प्रभवामि सदा धृत्या भद्रे स्वशयनं व्रज
aṣṭāvakra uvāca | haranti doṣajātāni naraṃ jātaṃ yathecchakam | prabhavāmi sadā dhṛtyā bhadre svaśayanaṃ vraja |
Aṣṭāvakra dit : «Ô noble dame, les amas de fautes et de péchés s’emparent de l’homme qui ne vit qu’au gré de ses caprices. Moi, au contraire, je me maîtrise toujours par une ferme discipline intérieure. Retourne donc à ta propre couche.»
अद्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrestrained, whim-driven living invites moral faults and sinful tendencies; steadfast dhṛti (firm self-control) protects one’s conduct and keeps the mind governed.
Aṣṭāvakra addresses a woman respectfully, warns that indulgence in mere desire leads to wrongdoing, asserts his own restraint through fortitude, and instructs her to return to her proper place (her bed).