Shloka 40
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
नापराधो<स्ति नारीणां नर एवापराध्यति । सर्वकार्यापरा ध्यत्वान्नापरा ध्यन्ति चाड़ना:,'ऐसे अवसरोंपर स्त्रियोंका अपराध नहीं होता, पुरुष ही अपराधी होता है। सभी कार्योमें अबला होनेके कारण स्त्रियोंको अपराधके लिये विवश कर दिया जाता है, अतः पराधीन होनेके कारण वे अपराधिनी नहीं हैं
nāparādho 'sti nārīṇāṃ nara evāparādhyati | sarvakāryāparā dhyatvān nāparā dhyanti cābalāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Aqui, as mulheres não estão em falta; é o homem, e só ele, quem comete a ofensa. Como as mulheres são impotentes na condução dos assuntos, muitas vezes são levadas ao erro; estando sob o domínio de outrem, não devem ser julgadas culpadas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes moral blame from mere involvement: when a person lacks autonomy and is compelled by circumstances or control of others, full culpability should not be assigned to them; responsibility lies primarily with the one who exercises agency and initiates the wrongdoing.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is instructing on ethical judgment and social responsibility, arguing that in certain situations women, being constrained and dependent in worldly affairs, should not be treated as the principal offenders; the man who acts with initiative bears the blame.