Shloka 2
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
आर्ष एष भवेद् धर्म: प्राजापत्यो5थवा55सुर: । यदेतत् सहधर्मेति पूर्वमुक्ते महर्षिभि:,महर्षियोंने पूर्वकालमें जो यह स्त्री-पुरुषोंके सहधर्मकी बात कही है, यह आर्ष धर्म है या प्राजापत्य धर्म; अथवा आसुर धर्म है?
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: ārṣa eṣa bhaved dharmaḥ prājāpatyo ’thavā ’suraḥ | yad etat sahadharmeti pūrvam ukte maharṣibhiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Peraturan dharma ini—yang dahulu disebut oleh para resi agung sebagai ‘tanggungjawab bersama’ (sahadharma) antara wanita dan lelaki—tergolong dharma yang manakah? Adakah ia bentuk ārṣa yang disahkan para ṛṣi, atau prājāpatya yang ditetapkan Prajāpati, ataukah bentuk āsura?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: when a practice is called ‘sahadharma’ (shared duty of spouses), it must be evaluated by authoritative dharma-categories (ārṣa, prājāpatya, āsura). Yudhiṣṭhira seeks to determine whether the practice is truly seer-approved and orderly, or tainted by coercive/āsura elements.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions the classification of a previously stated rule about the joint obligations of man and woman. He asks which recognized dharma-type it belongs to, inviting a clarifying response from the teacher in the discourse.