Shloka 14
Putra-Bheda: Kṣetraja, Kṛtaka, Apasada, and Saṃskāra Determinations (पुत्रभेद-निर्णयः)
पिता रक्षति कौमारे भर्ता रक्षति यौवने । पुत्राश्न॒ स्थाविरे भावे न स्त्री स्वातन्त्रयमहति
pitā rakṣati kaumāre bhartā rakṣati yauvanae | putrā rakṣanti sthāvire bhāve na strī svātantryam arhati ||
Bhishma bersabda: “Pada masa kanak-kanak seorang perempuan dilindungi ayahnya; pada masa muda dilindungi suaminya; dan pada masa tua dilindungi putra-putranya. Karena itu, perempuan tidak dipandang layak untuk berdiri dalam kemandirian sepenuhnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a normative dharma-based social model in which a woman’s welfare is framed as being ensured through guardianship—father in childhood, husband in youth, and sons in old age—thereby asserting limited personal autonomy within that traditional framework.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social conduct. Here he states a rule-like maxim about household and social guardianship roles across stages of life.