Shloka 5
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
उत्तरां मां दिशं विद्धि दृष्टं सत्रीचापलं च ते । स्थविराणामपि स्त्रीणां बाधते मैथुनज्वर:,आप मुझे उत्तरदिशा समझें। स्त्रीमें कितनी चपलता होती है--यह आपने प्रत्यक्ष देखा है। बूढ़ी स्त्रियोंको भी मैथुनके लिये होनेवाला कामजनित संताप कष्ट देता रहता है
uttarāṁ māṁ diśaṁ viddhi dṛṣṭaṁ satrīcāpalaṁ ca te | sthavirāṇām api strīṇāṁ bādhate maithunajvaraḥ ||
Dia berkata: “Ketahuilah aku sedang menunjukkan kepadamu arah utara. Engkau sendiri telah melihat betapa gelisah dan tidak tetapnya seorang wanita. Bahkan wanita yang sudah tua pun masih ditimpa demam nafsu—seksaan yang lahir daripada keinginan persetubuhan—yang terus mengganggu mereka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the persistence and intensity of kāma (sexual desire), portraying it as a ‘fever’ that can afflict even the elderly; ethically, it functions as a warning about the need for vigilance and self-restraint in matters of desire.
Bhīṣma, in an instructive mode within the Anuśāsana Parva, addresses his listener with a pointed observation: the listener has already witnessed women’s restlessness, and Bhīṣma reinforces the point by stating that the agitation of sexual craving can trouble even older women.