Shloka 37
पत्नीशाला कृता यस्य परेषां वाहिनीमुखम्
patnīśālā kṛtā yasya pareṣāṃ vāhinīmukham
Ambarīṣa berkata: “Barangsiapa yang membuat ‘muka barisan’ musuh berubah menjadi ‘paviliun para istri’—yakni ketika garda terdepan perangnya merosot menjadi tempat bergantung pada kenyamanan rumah tangga dan pemanjaan—ia takkan sungguh teguh dalam kewajiban kepemimpinan dan laku dharma.”
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.