Yudhishthira Asks How Women Can Be Guarded

Verse 1 (13.74.1)

इमे वै मानवा लोके स्त्रीषु सज्जन्त्यभीक्ष्णशः । मोहेन परमाविष्टा देवदृष्टेन कर्मणा ॥

ime vai mānavā loke strīṣu sajjantyabhīkṣṇaśaḥ | mohena paramāviṣṭā devadṛṣṭena karmaṇā

Men in this world cling to women again and again, utterly overcome by delusion, through a deed ordained by the gods.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 13.39.1a; line 2 = CE 13.39.1c, with a recension variant (CE: daivād iṣṭena pārthiva); kept.

Verse 2 (13.74.2)

स्त्रियश्च पुरुषेष्वेव प्रत्यक्षं लोकसाक्षिकम् । अत्र मे संशयस्तीव्रो हृदि सम्परिवर्तते ॥

striyaśca puruṣeṣveva pratyakṣaṃ lokasākṣikam | atra me saṃśayastīvro hṛdi samparivartate

And women, too, cling to men alone, plainly and with the world as witness. On this a keen doubt turns in my heart.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 13.39.1e; line 2 = CE 13.39.2a.

Verse 3 (13.74.3)

कथमासां नराः सङ्गं कुर्वते कुरुनन्दन । स्त्रियो वातेषु रज्यन्ते विरज्यन्ते च ताः पुनः ॥

kathamāsāṃ narāḥ saṅgaṃ kurvate kurunandana | striyo vāteṣu rajyante virajyante ca tāḥ punaḥ

How do men come to be attached to them, delight of the Kurus? And how do women take a liking to them, and then lose it again?

Note on the text: Corrected कुरुनन्दनः → कुरुनन्दन (misprint in Wikisource; a stray visarga, a vocative is wanted, CE kurunandana). Line 1 = CE 13.39.2c; line 2 = CE 13.39.2e.

Verse 4 (13.74.4)

इति ताः पुरुषव्याघ्र कथं शक्यास्तु रक्षितुम् । प्रमदाः पुरुषेणेह तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥

iti tāḥ puruṣavyāghra kathaṃ śakyāstu rakṣitum | pramadāḥ puruṣeṇeha tanme vyākhyātumarhasi

That being so, tiger among men, how can women be guarded by a man here? Please explain that to me.

Verse 5 (13.74.5)

एता हि स्वीयमायाभिर्वञ्चयन्तीह मानवान् । न चासां मुच्यते कश्चित्पुरुषो हस्तमागतः ॥

etā hi svīyamāyābhirvañcayantīha mānavān | na cāsāṃ mucyate kaścitpuruṣo hastamāgataḥ

These women deceive men here with their own wiles, and no man who falls into their hands is ever released.

Note on the text: Corrected एत्वा → एता (misprint in Wikisource; "etvā" is no word here, CE etā); स्वीयमायाभिः is a recension variant of CE mayamāyābhiḥ and is kept. Speaker corrected to Yudhishthira: the page prints a भीष्म उवाच heading before this verse, but verses 5-17 are plainly Yudhishthira's own continued speech (a statement of his doubt and, from verse 15, his request "tell me"), and the CE gives the whole of 13.39 to Yudhishthira with no change of speaker. Lines = CE 13.39.4a and 4c.

Verse 6 (13.74.6)

गावो नवतृणानीव गृह्णन्त्येता नवन्नवम् ॥

gāvo navatṛṇānīva gṛhṇantyetā navannavam

Like cows taking fresh grass, they take up one new man after another.

Note on the text: A single line on the page (13-74-6a only) = CE 13.39.4e (gāvo navatṛṇānīva gṛhṇanty eva navān navān), with a variant reading; the CE has it as the third line of the verse whose first two lines are the previous verse here.

Verse 7 (13.74.7)

शम्बरस्य च या माया माया या नमुचेरपि । बलेः कुम्भीनसेश्चैव सर्वास्ता योषितो विदुः ॥

śambarasya ca yā māyā māyā yā namucerapi | baleḥ kumbhīnaseścaiva sarvāstā yoṣito viduḥ

The illusion of Shambara, the illusion of Namuchi, those of Bali and of Kumbhinasi: women know them all.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वास्तां → सर्वास्ता (misprint in Wikisource; a stray anusvara, CE sarvās tā; the page's own footnote gives सर्वास्ता as a variant reading).

Verse 8 (13.74.8)

हसन्तं प्रहसन्त्येता रुदन्तं प्ररुदन्ति च । अप्रियं प्रियवाक्यैश्च गृह्णते कालयोगतः ॥

hasantaṃ prahasantyetā rudantaṃ prarudanti ca | apriyaṃ priyavākyaiśca gṛhṇate kālayogataḥ

They laugh with one who laughs and weep with one who weeps; and even a man they dislike they win over, as the occasion allows, with pleasant words.

Note on the text: Corrected रुद्रन्तं → रुदन्तं (misprint in Wikisource; a stray र, CE rudantaṃ).

Verse 9 (13.74.9)

यदि जिह्वासहस्रं स्याज्जीवेच्च शरदां शतम् । अनन्यकर्मा स्त्रीदोषाननुक्त्वा निधनं व्रजेत् ॥

yadi jihvāsahasraṃ syājjīvecca śaradāṃ śatam | ananyakarmā strīdoṣānanuktvā nidhanaṃ vrajet

If a man had a thousand tongues and lived a hundred years, with no other work, he would die without having finished telling the faults of women.

Note on the text: Removed the stray opening backtick and the closing quote with doubled danda by which Wikisource marks this as an addition. Not in the critical edition's constituted text: CE star passage 13.39.6d*0289_01-02 (yadi jihvāsahasraṃ syāj jīvec ca śaradāṃ śatam / ananyakarmā strīdoṣān anuktvā nidhanaṃ vrajet).

Verse 10 (13.74.10)

उशना वेद यच्छास्त्रं यच्च वेद बृहस्पतिः । स्त्री बुद्ध्या न विशिष्येत तास्तु रक्ष्याः कथं नरैः ॥

uśanā veda yacchāstraṃ yacca veda bṛhaspatiḥ | strī buddhyā na viśiṣyeta tāstu rakṣyāḥ kathaṃ naraiḥ

Whatever science Ushanas knows, and whatever Brihaspati knows, does not surpass the wit of women. How then can they be guarded by men?

Verse 11 (13.74.11)

अनृतं सत्यमित्याहुः सत्यं चापि तथाऽनृतम् । इति यास्ताः कथं वीर संरक्ष्याः पुरुषैरिह । दोषास्पदेऽशुचौ देहे ह्यासां सक्तास्त्वहो नराः ॥

anṛtaṃ satyamityāhuḥ satyaṃ cāpi tathā'nṛtam | iti yāstāḥ kathaṃ vīra saṃrakṣyāḥ puruṣairiha | doṣāspade'śucau dehe hyāsāṃ saktāstvaho narāḥ

Women call falsehood truth, and truth falsehood. Being such, hero, how can they be protected by men here? Ah, men cling to their bodies, the seat of faults and impure.

Note on the text: Removed the stray backtick and closing quote round line 3, by which Wikisource marks it as an addition. Lines 1 and 2 = CE 13.39.8a and 8c; line 3 is the CE star line 13.39.8b*0290_01 (doṣāspade 'śucau deśe hy āsāṃ raktās tv aho narāḥ), with variant readings (देहे, सक्ताः); the CE prints it between 8a and 8c, Wikisource after 8c.

Verse 12 (13.74.12)

स्त्रीणां बुद्ध्यर्थनिष्कर्षादर्थशास्त्राणि शत्रुहन् । बृहस्पतिप्रभृतिभिर्मन्ये सद्भिः कृतानि वै ॥

strīṇāṃ buddhyarthaniṣkarṣādarthaśāstrāṇi śatruhan | bṛhaspatiprabhṛtibhirmanye sadbhiḥ kṛtāni vai

I think that the treatises on statecraft were composed by good men like Brihaspati by drawing out the essence of women's intelligence, destroyer of foes.

Note on the text: Line 1 is a recension variant of CE 13.39.9a (CE: buddhyupaniṣkarṣād); kept.

Verse 13 (13.74.13)

संपूज्यमानाः पुरुषैर्विकुर्वन्ति मनो नृषु । अपास्ताश्च तथा राजन्विकुर्वन्ति मनः स्त्रियः ॥

saṃpūjyamānāḥ puruṣairvikurvanti mano nṛṣu | apāstāśca tathā rājanvikurvanti manaḥ striyaḥ

When honoured by men, women turn their minds toward men; and when cast aside, O king, women likewise change their minds.

Verse 14 (13.74.14)

इमाः प्रजा महाबाहो धार्मिक्य इति नः श्रुतम् ॥

imāḥ prajā mahābāho dhārmikya iti naḥ śrutam

We have heard, mighty-armed one, that these women are righteous.

Note on the text: Corrected महापाहो → महाबाहो (misprint in Wikisource; पा for बा, CE mahābāho). A single line on the page (13-74-14a only). Not in the critical edition's constituted text: CE star line 13.39.10d*0291_01 (imāḥ prajā mahābāho dhārmikya iti naḥ śrutam).

Verse 15 (13.74.15)

सत्कृतासत्कृताश्चापि विकुर्वन्ति मनः सदा । कस्ताः शक्तो रक्षितुं स्यादिति मे संशयो महान् ॥

satkṛtāsatkṛtāścāpi vikurvanti manaḥ sadā | kastāḥ śakto rakṣituṃ syāditi me saṃśayo mahān

Honoured or dishonoured, they always change their minds. Who could guard them? Of that I have a great doubt.

Note on the text: Line 1 is the CE star line 13.39.10d*0291_02 (satkṛtāsatkṛtāś cāpi vikurvanti manaḥ sadā); line 2 = CE 13.39.11a.

Verse 16 (13.74.16)

तथा ब्रूहि महाभाग कुरूणां वंशवर्धन । यदि शक्या कुरुश्रेष्ठ रक्षा तासां कदाचन ॥

tathā brūhi mahābhāga kurūṇāṃ vaṃśavardhana | yadi śakyā kuruśreṣṭha rakṣā tāsāṃ kadācana

So tell me, great-souled one, increaser of the Kuru line: if the guarding of them can ever be done, best of the Kurus,

Note on the text: Line 1 is a recension variant of CE 13.39.11c (CE: tan me brūhi mahābāho kurūṇāṃ vaṃśavardhana); line 2 = CE 13.39.12a.

Verse 17 (13.74.17)

कर्तुं वा कृतपूर्वं वा तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥

kartuṃ vā kṛtapūrvaṃ vā tanme vyākhyātumarhasi

whether it can be done, or has been done before, you must explain this to me.

Note on the text: A single line on the page (13-74-17a only) = CE 13.39.12c.