Shloka 25
Strī-satkāra (On honoring women) — Mahābhārata 13.46
नासां स्नेहो नरै: कार्यस्तथैवेष्ष्या जनेश्वर । खेदमास्थाय भुज्जीत धर्ममास्थाय चैव ह
Vipula uvāca: nāsāṃ sneho naraiḥ kāryas tathaiveṣyā janeśvara | khedam āsthāya bhuñjīta dharmam āsthāya caiva ha | anṛtāv iha parvādidoṣavarja narādhipa ||
Vipula said: “O lord of men, a man should neither become overly attached to women nor harbor jealousy toward them. Maintaining inner detachment and taking refuge in dharma, he should enjoy conjugal relations only in the proper season, after the prescribed purification, while avoiding faults such as intercourse on forbidden days and other transgressions.”
विपुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined household life: do not cling to women with excessive attachment, do not fall into jealousy, and regulate sexual enjoyment according to dharma—restricted to the proper season and avoiding prohibited occasions and faults.
Vipula is instructing a ruler on ethical self-governance. The counsel frames personal desire as something to be governed by dharma and social-religious norms, emphasizing restraint and avoidance of transgressive conduct.