Shloka 10

Vipula’s Guru-Obedience, Divine Flowers, and the Peril of Others’ Oaths (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—पुष्पप्राप्तिः शपथ-प्रसङ्गश्च)

Devanagari script

स्त्रीणां बुद्ध्यर्थनिष्कर्षादर्थशास्त्राणि शत्रुहन्‌

Transliteration

strīṇāṃ buddhy-artha-niṣkarṣād arthaśāstrāṇi śatruhan

Translation

எதிரிகளை அழிப்பவனே! பெண்களின் புத்தியின் நோக்கமும் அதன் செயல்முறையும் வெளிப்பட்டு தெளிவாக வேண்டுமென்ற தேவையாலேயே அர்த்தசாஸ்திரங்கள் வகுக்கப்பட்டன.

Word by Word

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• बुद्धि-अर्थ-निष्कर्षात्: from the ascertainment (nishkarsha) of the meaning/purpose of intelligence
• बुद्धि-अर्थ-निष्कर्षात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि/अर्थ/निष्कर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अर्थशास्त्राणि: treatises on polity/wealth (arthaśāstras)
• अर्थशास्त्राणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थशास्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• शत्रुहन्: O slayer of enemies
• शत्रुहन्: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रुहन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira (speaker)
• Śatruhan (epithet: 'slayer of foes', addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line links arthaśāstra (practical governance and policy) with the careful ascertainment of human motives and mental tendencies; it frames political knowledge as arising from analyzing how people—here specifically women—think and pursue aims, implying that effective rule requires insight into psychology and social conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a ‘slayer of foes’ and makes a pointed observation about the origins or rationale of arthaśāstra, situating the discussion within broader teachings on conduct, governance, and social ethics.