Shloka 10

Devanagari script

पतिव्रतात्वं भार्याया: परमो धर्म उच्यते | तवोपदेशाज्नागेन्द्र तच्च तत्त्वेन वेझि वै,नागराज! पत्नीके लिये पातिव्रत्य ही सबसे बड़ा धर्म कहा जाता है। आपके उपदेशसे अपने उस धर्मको मैं अच्छी तरह समझती हूँ

Transliteration

patīvratatvaṁ bhāryāyāḥ paramo dharma ucyate | tavopadeśāj nāgendra tac ca tattvena vetsi vai, nāgarāja |

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Bagi seorang isteri, kesetiaan dan keteguhan bakti kepada suami (pativratā) dinyatakan sebagai dharma yang tertinggi. Wahai tuan para ular, melalui ajaranmu engkau benar-benar memahami prinsip itu pada hakikatnya, wahai raja nāga.”

Word by Word

पतिव्रतात्वम्the state of being devoted to one’s husband (pativratā-hood)

भार्यायाःof a wife

परमःsupreme, highest

धर्मःduty, dharma

उच्यतेis said, is called

तवof you, your

उपदेशात्from (your) instruction, due to (your) teaching

नागेन्द्रO lord of serpents

तत्that

चand

तत्त्वेनin truth, correctly; with the real nature

वेत्तिknows, understands

वैindeed, surely

नागराजO king of serpents

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Nāgendra (serpent-lord)

Nāgarāja (serpent-king)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that for a wife, pativratā—steadfast fidelity and devotion to her husband—is regarded as the supreme dharma, and it emphasizes grasping this duty in its true essence through proper instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in the course of his dharma-discourse in the Śānti Parva, addresses a serpent-king (Nāgendra/Nāgarāja), affirming the teaching about a wife’s highest duty and acknowledging the listener’s understanding gained through instruction.