Shloka 12
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
उत्सृष्टमामिषं भूमौ प्रार्थयन्ति यथा खगा: । प्रार्थयन्ति जना: सर्वे पतिहीनां तथा स्त्रियम्,जैसे पक्षी पृथ्वीपर डाले हुए मांसके टुकड़ेको लेनेके लिये झपटते हैं, उसी प्रकार सब लोग विधवा स्त्रीको वशमें करना चाहते हैं। द्विजश्रेष्ठ) दुराचारी मनुष्य जब बार-बार मुझसे याचना करते हुए मुझे मर्यादासे विचलित करनेकी चेष्टा करेंगे, उस समय मैं श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके द्वारा अभिलषित मार्गपर स्थिर नहीं रह सकूँगी
utsṛṣṭam āmiṣaṃ bhūmau prārthayanti yathā khagāḥ | prārthayanti janāḥ sarve patihīnāṃ tathā striyam ||
A brâmane disse: “Assim como as aves se precipitam, cobiçando um pedaço de carne lançado ao chão, do mesmo modo pessoas de toda espécie lançam seus desejos sobre uma mulher sem marido. Quando homens imorais vierem repetidas vezes suplicar e pressionar-me, tentando abalar-me para fora dos limites do decoro, temo não conseguir permanecer firme no caminho estimado pelos nobres.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that a socially unprotected woman becomes a target of predatory desire, and it underscores the need for dharma—self-restraint, respect for boundaries, and protection of the vulnerable—so that one remains steady on the noble path.
A brāhmaṇa speaker uses a vivid simile—birds rushing toward discarded meat—to describe how people pursue a husbandless woman. The speaker expresses anxiety that repeated pressure from immoral men could disturb her adherence to propriety and the conduct esteemed by the virtuous.