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 berkata: “Anakku, sungguh tiada yang lebih berdosa daripada wanita. Seorang wanita yang mabuk oleh gairah masa muda bagaikan api yang menyala; dan, wahai tuan, ia pun adalah tipu daya—maya—yang ditempa oleh Dānawa Maya.”
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.