Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 37
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
पत्नीशाला कृता यस्य परेषां वाहिनीमुखम्
patnīśālā kṛtā yasya pareṣāṃ vāhinīmukham
अम्बरीष ने कहा—जिसके लिए शत्रुओं की सेना का अग्रभाग ही ‘पत्नीशाला’ बना दिया जाए—अर्थात् जिसका रण-अग्रदल घरेलू आश्रय और भोग-विलास का स्थान बनकर रह जाए—वह नेतृत्व और धर्माचरण के कर्तव्यों में वास्तव में दृढ़ नहीं रह सकता।
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sharp metaphor to warn that a leader who lets sensuality or domestic indulgence dominate his public duty becomes unfit for steadfast, righteous leadership; self-mastery is presented as essential to dharma and governance.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Ambarīṣa speaks in a moralizing tone, criticizing a type of ruler/warrior whose military resolve is metaphorically ‘converted’ into a private pleasure-space, implying loss of discipline and public responsibility.