Shloka 4536
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
स्त्रियो रक्ष्याश्न पोष्याश्न न त्वेवं वक्तुमहसि । 'शोभने! अपनी स्त्रीकी रक्षा और पालन-पोषण करना कीट-पतंग और पशुओंका भी कर्तव्य है; अतः तुम्हें ऐसी बात नहीं कहनी चाहिये
striyo rakṣyāś ca poṣyāś ca na tv evaṁ vaktum arhasi |
Nakula berkata: “Perempuan patut dilindungi dan dinafkahi; engkau tidak layak berkata demikian. Wahai yang elok, menjaga dan memelihara istri adalah kewajiban yang bahkan dipikul oleh serangga dan binatang; maka janganlah engkau berbicara seperti itu.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Nakula emphasizes dharma in domestic and social life: protecting and providing for women is a basic moral obligation, so one should not speak in a way that denies or belittles that responsibility.
In the Ashvamedhika Parva, Nakula responds to someone’s statement by correcting it, asserting that the duty of protection and maintenance is fundamental—so fundamental that it is observed even among animals—and urging restraint and propriety in speech.