Shloka 4
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
न हि स्त्रीभ्य: परं पुत्र पापीय: किंचिदस्ति वै | अनि्निहि प्रमदा दीप्तो मायाश्ष मयजा विभो
na hi strībhyāḥ paraṃ putra pāpīyaḥ kiñcid asti vai | agnir hi pramadā dīpto māyā ca mayajā vibho ||
毗湿摩说道：“我的儿子，世上确无比女子更为罪恶之物。女子若被青春的醉狂所驱使，便如烈火炽燃；而且，噢，主上，她亦是一种欺诳——由达那婆魔耶（Maya）所造的幻术。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a cautionary moral warning: uncontrolled attraction and youthful intoxication are portrayed as dangerous, likened to fire and illusion (māyā). It urges vigilance and self-restraint, though it does so through a strongly generalized and polemical statement about women.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on conduct and ethical discernment. Here he uses sharp imagery—fire and Maya’s illusion—to warn about the perceived perils of sensual entanglement and deception.