Shloka 4
Vipula’s Guru-Obedience, Divine Flowers, and the Peril of Others’ Oaths (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—पुष्पप्राप्तिः शपथ-प्रसङ्गश्च)
इति ता: पुरुषव्यापत्र कथं शक््यास्तु रक्षितुम् । प्रमदा: पुरुषेणेह तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि
iti tāḥ puruṣavyāpatra kathaṁ śakyāstu rakṣitum | pramadāḥ puruṣeṇeha tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Se as mulheres ficam assim expostas aos perigos que surgem dos homens, como, neste mundo, um homem pode de fato protegê-las? Peço-te que me expliques isso.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical dilemma: if the very agent expected to protect (a man, or male guardianship) can also be a source of danger, then protection must be understood as a dharmic system—self-restraint, social norms, and responsibility—rather than mere physical control.
Yudhiṣṭhira, continuing a dharma inquiry in Anuśāsana Parva, asks for clarification on how women can be safeguarded when men themselves may cause harm, requesting the elder’s authoritative explanation.