Shloka 20
Strī-satkāra (On honoring women) — Mahābhārata 13.46
स्त्रिय: साध्व्यो महा भागा: सम्मता लोकमातर: । धारयन्ति महीं राजन्निमां सवनकाननाम्
striyaḥ sādhvyo mahābhāgāḥ sammatā lokamātaraḥ | dhārayanti mahīṃ rājann imāṃ savanakānanām ||
Vipula disse: “As mulheres virtuosas e de grande mérito—honradas como mães do mundo—sustentam esta terra, ó rei, juntamente com seus bosques sagrados e florestas.”
विपुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that virtuous women, revered as ‘mothers of the world,’ are foundational to sustaining society and the moral-spiritual order; their dharma is portrayed as a stabilizing force that supports the earth itself.
Vipula addresses a king and emphasizes the exalted status of righteous women, asserting that they sustain the world along with its sacred natural spaces (groves and forests), thereby underscoring their societal and cosmic importance.