Shloka 73
Vipula’s Guru-Obedience, Divine Flowers, and the Peril of Others’ Oaths (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—पुष्पप्राप्तिः शपथ-प्रसङ्गश्च)
अप्रियं प्रियवाक्यैश्न गृह्लते कालयोगत: । पुरुषको हँसते देख ये स्त्रियाँ जोर-जोरसे हँसती हैं। उसे रोते देख स्वयं भी फूट- फ़ूटकर रोने लगती हैं और अवसर आनेपर अप्रिय पुरुषको प्रिय वचनोंद्वारा अपना लेती हैं
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | apriyaṃ priyavākyaiś ca gṛhṇīte kālayogataḥ | puruṣaṃ hāsate dṛṣṭvā ye striyaḥ jora-jora-se hāsantī haiṃ | taṃ rodate dṛṣṭvā svayam api phūṭ-phūṭkar rone lagtī haiṃ, avasara āne par apriya-puruṣaṃ priyavacanaiḥ dvārā ātmīyaṃ kurvanti |
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “No devido curso do tempo e das circunstâncias, as mulheres podem conquistar até um homem desagradável por meio de palavras agradáveis. Vendo um homem rir, riem alto; vendo-o chorar, elas também desatam em pranto. E, quando chega o momento oportuno, com fala doce tornam seu até o homem que lhes é desfavorável.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical power of speech used with sensitivity to time and circumstance: gentle, agreeable words—paired with emotional attunement—can soften hostility and reconcile relationships.
Yudhiṣṭhira is describing a social observation: women mirror a man’s emotions (laughing when he laughs, weeping when he weeps) and, when the right opportunity comes, use pleasing speech to win over even someone initially unpleasant or unfriendly.