Shloka 21
Strī-satkāra (On honoring women) — Mahābhārata 13.46
राजन! यदि स्त्रियाँ साथ्वी एवं पतिव्रता हों तो बड़ी सौभाग्यशालिनी होती हैं। संसारमें उनका आदर होता है और वे सम्पूर्ण जगत्की माता समझी जाती हैं। इतना ही नहीं, वे अपने पातित्रत्यके प्रभावसे वन और काननोंसहित इस सम्पूर्ण पृथ्वीको धारण करती हैं ।।
rājan! yadi striyaḥ sādhvya evaṃ pativratāḥ syuḥ, tadā mahāsaubhāgyavatyo bhavanti. saṃsāre tāḥ pūjyante ca sarvajagato mātara iva manyante. na kevalam etat—tāḥ svapātivratyaprabhāvena vanakānanaiḥ saha imāṃ sarvāṃ pṛthivīṃ dhārayanti. asādhvyaś cāpi durvṛttāḥ kulaghnāḥ pāpaniścayāḥ; vijñeyā lakṣaṇair duṣṭaiḥ svagātrasahajair nṛpa.
Vipula disse: “Ó rei, quando as mulheres são verdadeiramente virtuosas e devotadas aos seus maridos, tornam-se extraordinariamente afortunadas. O mundo as honra e as considera mães de todos os seres. Mais do que isso: pelo poder de sua castidade, sustentam esta terra inteira, com suas florestas e bosques. Mas as mulheres sem virtude—de conduta corrompida, destruidoras do bem-estar da linhagem e resolvidas no pecado—devem ser reconhecidas, ó governante, pelos sinais inatos do próprio corpo e pelos indícios de sua maldade.”
विपुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the social and spiritual power attributed to virtuous, faithful wives—who are honored as universal mothers and said to sustain the world through pātivratya—with the warning that immoral, family-destroying, sin-resolved conduct should be identified and avoided.
Vipula addresses a king in an instructive tone, offering a moral classification of women based on conduct: praising sādhvī-pativratā women and cautioning the ruler about recognizing and guarding against asādhvī, durvṛttā women who harm family and dharma.