Shloka 20
Vipula’s Yogic Protection of the Guru’s Household (विपुलस्य योगरक्षा / Vipulasya Yogarakṣā)
याश्न शश्वद् बहुमता रक्ष्यन्ते दयिता: स्त्रिय: । अपि ता: सम्प्रसज्जन्ते कुब्जान्धजडवामनै:
yāś ca śaśvad bahumatā rakṣyante dayitāḥ striyaḥ | api tāḥ samprasajjante kubjāndhajaḍavāmanaiḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Kahit ang mga babaeng laging lubhang iginagalang, minamahal ng asawa, at mahigpit na binabantayan ay maaari pa ring masadlak sa pagkakasangkot—maging sa mga lalaking kuba, bulag, mapurol ang isip, o pandak. Ipinahihiwatig nito na ang panlabas na pagbabantay at dangal sa lipunan ay hindi sapat upang tiyakin ang katatagan ng asal; kailangan din ang pagbabantay-sarili at disiplina sa kalooban.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that external safeguards—status, honor, affection, and even constant guarding—do not guarantee ethical stability. Human desire and vulnerability can override circumstances; therefore dharma requires inner restraint, discernment, and continuous vigilance rather than reliance on appearances or social arrangements.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing on conduct and moral caution. Here he illustrates, through a pointed observation, that even well-protected and respected women may become entangled in improper relations, underscoring the broader lesson about the unpredictability of desire and the need for disciplined conduct.