Shloka 93
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
तथा शतसहस्रेषु यदि काचित् पतिव्रता । स्त्री बोली--ब्रह्मन! वायु, अग्नि, वरुण तथा अन्य देवता भी स्त्रियोंको वैसे प्रिय नहीं हैं, जैसा उन्हें काम प्रिय लगता है; क्योंकि स्त्रियाँ स्वभावत: रतिकी इच्छुक होती हैं। सहस्रों नारियोंमें कभी कोई एक ऐसी स्त्री मिलती है जो रतिलोलुप न हो तथा लाखों स्त्रियोंमें शायद ही कोई एक पतिव्रता मिल सके ।। ९१-९२ $ ।। नैता जानन्ति पितरं न कुलं न च मातरम्
tathā śatasahasreṣu yadi kācit pativratā | strī bolī—brahman! vāyuḥ agniḥ varuṇaḥ tathā anya-devatā api strīṇāṃ tādṛśaṃ priyā na bhavanti yathā tāḥ kāmaḥ priyaḥ | yataḥ striyaḥ svabhāvataḥ rati-icchukāḥ | sahasreṣu nārīṣu kadācit ekā eva tādṛśī strī labhyate yā rati-lolupā na syāt tathā lakṣeṣu strīṣu prāyaḥ ekā eva pativratā labhyeta || (91–92) | naitā jānanti pitaraṃ na kulaṃ na ca mātaram ||
อัษฏาวักระกล่าวว่า “ฉันนั้นแล ในแสนคน หากมีสตรีผู้เป็น ‘ปติวรตา’ (ภักดีต่อสามีอย่างแท้จริง) ได้สักหนึ่ง นางนั้นย่อมหายากยิ่ง”
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a moral-social claim about the rarity of pativratā (exclusive marital fidelity) and contrasts it with the power of kāma (desire). In the ethical register of the Anuśāsana Parva, it functions as a cautionary, normative statement about self-control and sexual conduct, though it is voiced in a polemical, generalized manner.
Aṣṭāvakra speaks about women and fidelity; then a woman responds directly to a brāhmaṇa, asserting that desire is dearest to women and that truly faithful wives are extremely rare. The next line indicates the continuation of her critique, claiming such women disregard even family ties.