Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 24
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
स्त्रीणां तु पतिदायाद्यमुपभोगफल स्मृतम् | नापहारं स्त्रिय: कुर्यु: पतिवित्तात् कथंचन
strīṇāṃ tu patidāyādyam upabhogaphalaṃ smṛtam | nāpahāraṃ striyaḥ kuryuḥ pativittāt kathaṃcana ||
भीष्म ने कहा—स्त्रियों को पति के धन से जो भाग मिलता है, उसका फल मुख्यतः भोग और उपयोग ही माना गया है। इसलिए पति-धन से प्राप्त उनके अधिकार का किसी प्रकार अपहरण न किया जाए। और जो स्त्रीधन उन्हें दिया गया हो, उसे पुत्र आदि उत्तराधिकारी कभी न लें।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms that a woman’s entitlement connected with her husband’s wealth is meant for her use and enjoyment, and it should not be confiscated; her allotted property (including what is given to her as her own) is not to be taken by heirs such as sons.
In the Anushasana Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Bhishma is laying down normative guidance on household ethics and inheritance—specifically, protecting a woman’s rightful share and preventing deprivation of her husband-derived property and her own allotted wealth.