न परत्र भयादेता मर्यादां विदधुः स्त्रियः । मुक्त्वा भूपभयं चैकमथवा गुरुजं भयम्
na paratra bhayādetā maryādāṃ vidadhuḥ striyaḥ | muktvā bhūpabhayaṃ caikamathavā gurujaṃ bhayam
Para wanita itu tidak menetapkan batas tingkah laku kerana takut akan alam akhirat. Melainkan hanya kerana satu ketakutan—hukuman raja—atau barangkali ketakutan yang timbul daripada orang tua dan guru, barulah mereka meletakkan batas-batas itu.
Narrative voice (contextually within Sūta’s narration; explicit speaker not marked in this verse)
Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)
Scene: A court-and-āśrama contrast: on one side a king with scepter (daṇḍa) symbolizing punishment; on the other a guru/elder in an āśrama setting; between them a woman at a threshold (maryādā) indicating boundaries of conduct—illustrating external vs internal restraint.
Speech that generalizes or disparages others becomes a cause for moral downfall; dharma is upheld by restraint and right view.
This verse sits inside the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the immediate verse emphasizes ethical critique rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No explicit rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.