Shloka 48
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
Devanagari script
नचेयं रक्षितुं शक्या यथान्या प्रमदा नृभि:
Transliteration
na ceyaṁ rakṣituṁ śakyā yathānyā pramadā nṛbhiḥ
Translation
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ സ്ത്രീയെ മറ്റു സ്ത്രീകളെപ്പോലെ പുരുഷന്മാർ അങ്ങനെ കാക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല.
Word by Word
nanot
na:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna
caand
ca:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca
iyamthis (woman)
iyam:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootidam
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
rakṣitumto protect/guard
rakṣitum:
TypeVerb
Rootrakṣ (रक्ष्)
FormInfinitive (tumun)
śakyāpossible/able (to be done)
śakyā:
TypeAdjective
Rootśakya
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
yathāas/like
yathā:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyathā
anyāanother/other
anyā:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootanya
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
pramadāwoman
pramadā:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootpramadā
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
nṛbhiḥby men
nṛbhiḥ:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootnṛ
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaW
woman (pramadā)M
men (nṛ)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
That ‘protection’ is not merely physical guarding or control by men; ethical safety depends on dharma—inner discipline, right relationships, and trust—rather than coercive surveillance.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, makes a pointed observation about the limits of external guarding: this particular woman, in the situation under discussion, cannot be kept safe or restrained in the same way as other women might be.