Shloka 4
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
न हि स्त्रीभ्य: परं पुत्र पापीय: किंचिदस्ति वै | अनि्निहि प्रमदा दीप्तो मायाश्ष मयजा विभो
na hi strībhyāḥ paraṃ putra pāpīyaḥ kiñcid asti vai | agnir hi pramadā dīpto māyā ca mayajā vibho ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon fils, il n’est vraiment rien de plus pécheur que les femmes. La femme, poussée par l’ivresse de la jeunesse, est comme un feu flamboyant ; et, ô seigneur, elle est aussi tromperie—une illusion façonnée par le Dānava Māyā.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a cautionary moral warning: uncontrolled attraction and youthful intoxication are portrayed as dangerous, likened to fire and illusion (māyā). It urges vigilance and self-restraint, though it does so through a strongly generalized and polemical statement about women.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on conduct and ethical discernment. Here he uses sharp imagery—fire and Maya’s illusion—to warn about the perceived perils of sensual entanglement and deception.