Shloka 37
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
पत्नीशाला कृता यस्य परेषां वाहिनीमुखम्
patnīśālā kṛtā yasya pareṣāṃ vāhinīmukham
Ambarīṣa berkata: “Bagi seseorang yang ‘barisan hadapan tenteranya’ pun dijadikan ‘balai isteri’—yakni, vanguard perangnya direndahkan menjadi tempat kebergantungan rumah tangga dan kemewahan—orang demikian tidak dapat benar-benar teguh dalam kewajipan kepimpinan dan kelurusan dharma.”
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sharp metaphor to warn that a leader who lets sensuality or domestic indulgence dominate his public duty becomes unfit for steadfast, righteous leadership; self-mastery is presented as essential to dharma and governance.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Ambarīṣa speaks in a moralizing tone, criticizing a type of ruler/warrior whose military resolve is metaphorically ‘converted’ into a private pleasure-space, implying loss of discipline and public responsibility.