Shloka 9
अम्बोपाख्याने तापसानां विचारः तथा होत्रवाहनस्य उपदेशः
Ambā among ascetics; Hotravāhana directs her to Paraśurāma
नारीं विदितविज्ञान: परेषां धर्ममादिशन् । यथेष्टं गम्यतां भद्ठे मा त्वां कालो5त्यगादयम्
nārīṁ viditavijñānaḥ pareṣāṁ dharmam ādiśan | yatheṣṭaṁ gamyatāṁ bhadre mā tvāṁ kālo 'tyagād ayam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Aku mengetahui benar dan salah, dan aku pun mengajarkan dharma kepada orang lain; bagaimana mungkin aku membawa ke dalam rumah tanggaku seorang perempuan yang telah menjadi milik orang lain? Itu bukan kehendakku. Wahai wanita mulia, pergilah ke mana pun engkau inginkan; jangan biarkan waktumu berlalu sia-sia di sini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler who teaches dharma must also embody social-ethical restraint in private life; Bhishma frames his refusal as consistency between public moral instruction and personal conduct, emphasizing integrity and propriety.
Bhishma addresses a woman who has previously been claimed by another man and declines to accept her as his wife, advising her to go wherever she wishes so that her time and prospects are not wasted.