Shloka 13
Putra-Bheda: Kṣetraja, Kṛtaka, Apasada, and Saṃskāra Determinations (पुत्रभेद-निर्णयः)
नास्ति यज्ञक्रिया काचिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम् | धर्म: स्वभर्तशुश्रूषा तया स्वर्ग जयन्त्युत
bhīṣma uvāca | nāsti yajñakriyā kācin na śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam | dharmaḥ svabhartuśuśrūṣā tayā svargaṃ jayanti uta |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Para sa babae, walang sapilitang ritwal na yajña, ni śrāddha, ni pag-aayuno. Ang kanyang dharma ay ang tapat na paglingap at paglilingkod sa sariling asawa; sa pamamagitan niyon lamang, tunay na nakakamtan ng kababaihan ang langit.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that a woman’s primary religious-ethical duty is devoted service to her husband; this is presented as sufficient for attaining heavenly merit, without requiring separate obligations like sacrifice, śrāddha, or fasting.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhishma is laying down norms of conduct (dharma). Here he states a rule about women’s duties, emphasizing household devotion over independent ritual observances.