Shloka 78

Devanagari script

द्रवमाणे च भीते च तवास्मीति च वादिनि । स्त्रियां स्त्रीनामथेये च विकले चैकपुत्रके

Transliteration

dravamāṇe ca bhīte ca tavāsmīti ca vādini | striyāṃ strīṇām atheye ca vikale caikaputrake

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: “ບໍ່ຄວນຟັນ ຫຼື ເຮັດອັນຕະລາຍແກ່ແມ່ຍິງ—ໂດຍສະເພາະເມື່ອນາງກຳລັງຫນີດ້ວຍຄວາມຕົກໃຈ, ເມື່ອນາງຢ້ານກົວ, ເມື່ອນາງຮ້ອງວ່າ ‘ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າເປັນຂອງທ່ານ’ ເພື່ອຍອມຈຳນົນ, ເມື່ອນາງຢູ່ທ່າມກາງແມ່ຍິງແລະບໍ່ມີຜູ້ຄຸ້ມຄອງ, ເມື່ອນາງພິການ ຫຼື ອ່ອນແອ, ຫຼື ເມື່ອນາງເປັນແມ່ພຽງຜູ້ດຽວຂອງລູກຊາຍຄົນດຽວ.”

Word by Word

द्रवमाणेwhen (he is) running/fleeing

चand

भीतेwhen (he is) afraid

चand

तवof you/your

अस्मिI am

इतिthus/quoting

चand

वादिनिwhen (someone) is saying/speaking

स्त्रियम्a woman

स्त्रीणाम्of women

अथेयेwhen (one is) not to be trusted / not to be relied upon

चand

विकलेwhen (one is) helpless/disabled

चand

एकपुत्रकेwhen (one is) having only one son

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma articulates a dharmic restraint: even amid conflict, one must protect those who are vulnerable and non-combatant—especially women in fear, flight, surrender, isolation, disability, or precarious family dependence (an only son).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma Parva, Bhīṣma is presenting norms of righteous conduct connected with warfare and protection. This verse lists specific conditions under which a woman is to be treated as inviolable and safeguarded rather than harmed.