Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
स्त्रियो रक्ष्याश्न पोष्याश्न न त्वेवं वक्तुमहसि । 'शोभने! अपनी स्त्रीकी रक्षा और पालन-पोषण करना कीट-पतंग और पशुओंका भी कर्तव्य है; अतः तुम्हें ऐसी बात नहीं कहनी चाहिये
striyo rakṣyāś ca poṣyāś ca na tv evaṁ vaktum arhasi |
那俱罗说道:“女子当受护持与供养;便是昆虫与走兽,也为此义务所系。因此,你不该如此言说。”
नकुल उवाच
Nakula emphasizes dharma in domestic and social life: protecting and providing for women is a basic moral obligation, so one should not speak in a way that denies or belittles that responsibility.
In the Ashvamedhika Parva, Nakula responds to someone’s statement by correcting it, asserting that the duty of protection and maintenance is fundamental—so fundamental that it is observed even among animals—and urging restraint and propriety in speech.