Shloka 13
Aṣṭāvakra and the Woman: Disclosure, Permission, and Marital Resolution (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय २२)
भीष्य उवाच सा तदा तेन विप्रेण तथा तेन निवर्तिता । स्वतन्त्रास्मीत्युवाचर्षि न धर्मच्छलमस्ति ते,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! इस प्रकार उन ब्रह्मर्षिके लौटानेपर उसने कहा--'मैं स्वतन्त्र हूँ; अत: मेरे साथ समागम करनेसे आपके धर्मकी छलना नहीं होगी”
bhīṣma uvāca sā tadā tena vipreṇa tathā tena nivartitā | svatantrāsmīty uvācārṣi na dharmacchalam asti te ||
भीष्म उवाच—सा तदा तेन विप्रेण तथा निवर्तिता। “स्वतन्त्रास्मि” इत्युवाच; “ऋषे, न ते धर्मच्छलमस्ति” इति॥
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical responsibility around intention and consent: if a woman freely chooses (svatantrā) and there is no misuse of dharma as a pretext (dharma-chala), the man is not guilty of a dharmic deception in accepting her.
Bhishma recounts an episode where a brahmarshi attempts to dissuade a woman; she responds that she is independent to decide and assures that union with her would not constitute a deceit or violation of dharma for the man involved.