Shloka 87
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
यथा पुरुषसंसर्ग: परमेतद्धि न: फलम् । “हमलोग यहाँ दिव्य और मनुष्यलोक-सम्बन्धी सम्पूर्ण भोगोंका उपभोग करेंगे। स्त्रियोंके लिये पुरुषसंसर्ग जितना प्रिय है, उससे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई फल कदापि प्रिय नहीं होता। यही हमारे लिये सर्वोत्तम फल है ।। आत्मच्छन्देन वर्तन्ते नायों मन्मथचोदिता:
yathā puruṣa-saṃsargaḥ param etad dhi naḥ phalam | “vayaṃ iha divyān manuṣya-loka-sambandhīn samagrān bhogān upabhokṣyāmaḥ | strīṇāṃ puruṣa-saṃsargaḥ yāvat priyaḥ, tataḥ bāḍham anyaḥ kaścid phalaṃ kadācid api priyaṃ na bhavati | etad eva asmākaṃ śreṣṭhatamaṃ phalam || ātma-cchandena vartante nāryo manmatha-coditāḥ”
Aṣṭāvakra disse: “Para nós, o ‘fruto’ mais elevado é a convivência com os homens. Aqui desfrutaremos de todos os prazeres—tanto os celestes quanto os ligados ao mundo humano. Para as mulheres, nenhuma recompensa é mais querida do que a união com um homem; nenhum outro resultado a supera em desejabilidade. Este é o nosso ganho supremo. As mulheres agem segundo a própria inclinação, impelidas pelo impulso do desejo.”
सअद्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames desire (kāma) and personal inclination as powerful drivers of conduct, presenting a viewpoint that treats sensual union as the highest ‘reward’ and describing women as acting by their own will under the impulse of Manmatha. In context, it functions as a characterization of desire-centered reasoning rather than a dharma-centered ideal.
Aṣṭāvakra is quoted articulating a stance that prioritizes enjoyment—both celestial and human—and asserts that for women the dearest outcome is union with men, adding that women act according to their own inclination, impelled by desire (Manmatha).