Shloka 81
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
न चास्ति शक्तिस्त्रैलोक्ये कस्यचित् पुरुषोत्तम । पतिव्रतामिमां साध्वीं तवोद्वीक्षितुमप्युत
na cāsti śaktis trailokye kasyacit puruṣottama | pativratām imāṃ sādhvīṃ tavodvīkṣitum apy uta ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “O Puruṣottama, sa tatlong daigdig ay wala ni isa mang may kapangyarihang kahit itaas man lamang ang maruming tingin sa iyong asawa—ang babaeng dalisay, mabuti, at tapat na nakatuon sa kanyang asawa. Ang di-malalabag na pag-iingat na ito’y isinilang mula sa kanyang katapatan at sa iyong katuwiran.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the ethical ideal that a woman’s steadfast fidelity (pativratā-dharma) and virtue create a moral inviolability: lustful or impure intent is portrayed as powerless before chastity supported by dharma.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, addresses “Puruṣottama” and praises the exceptional chastity of the listener’s wife, declaring that no being in the three worlds can even look upon her with a corrupt intention.