Shloka 16
Umā’s Inquiry and the Manifestation of the Third Eye (उमा–प्रश्नः तृतीयनेत्रोत्पत्तिः)
(अग्निसंरक्षणपरा गृहशुद्धि च कारये । कुमारान् पालये नित्यं कुमारी परिशिक्षये ।।
agnisaṁrakṣaṇaparā gṛhaśuddhiṁ ca kāraye | kumārān pālaye nityaṁ kumārī pariśikṣaye || ātmapriyāṇi hitvāpi garbhasaṁrakṣaṇe ratā | bālānāṁ varjaye nityaṁ śāpaṁ kopaṁ pratāpanam || avikṣiptāni dhānyāni nānnavikṣepaṇaṁ gṛhe | ratnavat spṛhaye gehe gāvaḥ sayavasodakāḥ || samudgamya ca śuddhāhaṁ bhikṣāṁ dadyāṁ dvijātiṣu || pravāsaṁ yadi me yāti bhartā kāryeṇa kenacit | maṅgalair bahubhir yuktā bhavāmi niyatā tadā ||
ビーシュマは言った。「私は家の聖火を守り、常の清掃によって住まいを清浄に保った。子らを日々養い、少女たちには婦道と作法を教えた。自ら好む食を捨ててでも、常に胎を護ることに心を尽くした。子らを呪い罵ること、怒りをぶつけること、いかなる形であれ苦しめることを、私は永く断った。我が家では穀物を散らすことなく、食を粗末に撒き散らすこともなかった。家の牛には飼葉と水を与え、宝玉のごとくその安寧を守りたいと願った。そして身を清めたうえで進み出て、二度生まれの者たちに施しを与えた。もし夫が何らかの用で旅立つなら、私は戒めを守り身を慎み、彼の安泰のために多くの吉祥の行を修した。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ideal of household ethics: protect the sacred fire and maintain cleanliness, nurture children with patience (without curses or harshness), safeguard pregnancy through self-denial, avoid wasting food, care for cows as precious dependents, and give alms to the twice-born while observing purity and disciplined auspicious conduct—especially during the husband’s absence.
In Bhishma’s discourse on dharma, a woman’s exemplary domestic conduct is described in the first person: she recounts her daily responsibilities—ritual care, household purification, child-rearing, instruction of girls, restraint in speech and anger, careful management of food, attentive care of cows, and charitable giving—then adds that when her husband travels for work she remains self-controlled and engaged in auspicious observances.