Shloka 143
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
न शक्या रक्षितुं नार्यस्ता हि नित्यमसंयता: । वाणीके द्वारा एवं वध और बन्धनके द्वारा रोककर अथवा नाना प्रकारके क्लेश देकर भी स्त्रियोंकी रक्षा नहीं की जा सकती; क्योंकि वे सदा असंयमशील होती हैं
na śakyā rakṣituṃ nāryas tā hi nityam asaṃyatāḥ |
毗湿摩说：妇女——他断言——不可被可靠地“看守”，因为她们被说成恒常不自制。纵使以囚禁、以刑罚相胁，乃至杀戮或捆缚，或施以种种苦楚，也终不能真正确保其行止；因此他将此事归结为强制控制之无效，而非护持之成功。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues that coercive measures—confinement, threats, punishment, even violence—do not constitute genuine ‘protection’ of moral conduct; it frames the matter as rooted in self-restraint (saṃyama) rather than external force, though it does so through a generalized and polemical claim about women.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues delivering didactic counsel on dharma and social conduct; here he voices a strong, proverbial-sounding assertion about the limits of guarding women, embedded within broader normative discourse on household and societal regulation.