Shloka 29
Vipula’s Yogic Protection of the Guru’s Household (विपुलस्य योगरक्षा / Vipulasya Yogarakṣā)
अन्तक: पवनो मृत्यु: पातालं वडवामुखम् | क्षुरधारा विषं सर्पों वल्विरित्येकतः स्त्रिय:,यमराज, वायु, मृत्यु, पाताल, बड़वानल, धुरेकी धार, विष, सर्प और अग्नि--ये सब विनाशके हेतु एक तरफ और स्त्रियाँ अकेली एक तरफ बराबर हैं
antakaḥ pavano mṛtyuḥ pātālaṃ vaḍavāmukham | kṣuradhārā viṣaṃ sarpo valvir ity ekataḥ striyaḥ ||
Disse Bhīṣma: “Antaka (Yama), o vento, a morte, Pātāla, o fogo submarino de face de égua (Vadavāmukha), o fio da navalha, o veneno, a serpente e o fogo ardente—tudo isso está reunido de um lado como causas de destruição; e do outro lado estão as mulheres sozinhas, iguais a elas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses deliberate exaggeration to warn that uncontrolled attraction and careless conduct can be as ruinous as the most lethal forces; it presses the ethical lesson of vigilance, restraint, and discernment in relationships.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is delivering moral counsel; here he lists archetypal agents of destruction and then compares them to the danger he associates with women, as part of a broader admonitory discourse on conduct and self-mastery.