Shloka 13
Putra-Bheda: Kṣetraja, Kṛtaka, Apasada, and Saṃskāra Determinations (पुत्रभेद-निर्णयः)
नास्ति यज्ञक्रिया काचिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम् | धर्म: स्वभर्तशुश्रूषा तया स्वर्ग जयन्त्युत
bhīṣma uvāca | nāsti yajñakriyā kācin na śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam | dharmaḥ svabhartuśuśrūṣā tayā svargaṃ jayanti uta |
Bhishma dit : « Pour une femme, il n’est point de rite sacrificiel obligatoire, ni de śrāddha, ni de jeûne. Son dharma est l’assistance dévouée à son propre époux ; par cela seul, les femmes remportent véritablement le ciel. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that a woman’s primary religious-ethical duty is devoted service to her husband; this is presented as sufficient for attaining heavenly merit, without requiring separate obligations like sacrifice, śrāddha, or fasting.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhishma is laying down norms of conduct (dharma). Here he states a rule about women’s duties, emphasizing household devotion over independent ritual observances.