Honouring Women

Verse 1 (13.81.1)

प्राचेतसस्य वचनं कीर्तयन्ति पुराविदः । यस्याः किञ्चिन्नाददते ज्ञातयो न स विक्रयः ॥

prācetasasya vacanaṃ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ | yasyāḥ kiñcinnādadate jñātayo na sa vikrayaḥ

The ancients cite the saying of Prachetasa: when her kinsmen take nothing for the girl, that is no sale.

Verse 2 (13.81.2)

अर्हणं तत्कुमारीणामानृशंस्यं व्रतं च तत् । सर्वं च प्रतिदेयं स्यात्कन्यायै तदशेषतः ॥

arhaṇaṃ tatkumārīṇāmānṛśaṃsyaṃ vrataṃ ca tat | sarvaṃ ca pratideyaṃ syātkanyāyai tadaśeṣataḥ

That is an honour to maidens and a vow of kindness; and everything received should be given back to the girl in full.

Note on the text: Second half of the first line varies from CE 13.46.2a ('ānṛśaṃsyatamaṃ ca tat'); the page's 'आनृशंस्यं व्रतं च तत्' is a valid variant, kept.

Verse 3 (13.81.3)

पितृभिर्भ्रातृभिश्चापि श्वशुरैरथ देवरैः । पूज्या लालयितव्याश्च बहुकल्याणमीप्सुभिः ॥

pitṛbhirbhrātṛbhiścāpi śvaśurairatha devaraiḥ | pūjyā lālayitavyāśca bahukalyāṇamīpsubhiḥ

They should be honoured and cherished by fathers, brothers, fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law who desire great welfare.

Verse 4 (13.81.4)

यदि वै स्त्री न रोचेत पुमांसं न प्रमोदयेत् । अप्रमोदात्पुनः पुंसः प्रजनो न प्रवर्धते ॥

yadi vai strī na roceta pumāṃsaṃ na pramodayet | apramodātpunaḥ puṃsaḥ prajano na pravardhate

If a woman is not pleased, she will not gladden her husband; and without the husband's gladness, the begetting of children does not thrive.

Note on the text: Second line varies from CE 13.46.4c ('amodanāt punaḥ puṃsaḥ prajanaṃ na pravardhate'); the page's 'अप्रमोदात्' and 'प्रजनो' are valid variants, kept.

Verse 5 (13.81.5)

पूज्या लालयितव्याश्च स्त्रियो नित्यं जनाधिप । स्त्रियो यत्र च पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः ॥

pūjyā lālayitavyāśca striyo nityaṃ janādhipa | striyo yatra ca pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ

Women are always to be honoured and cherished, O lord of men. Where women are honoured, the gods delight.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 13.46.5a; line 2 = CE star line 13,046.005b*0307_01 ('striyo yatra ca pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ'), printed after 5a and not part of the numbered text.

Verse 6 (13.81.6)

अपूजिताश्च यत्रैताः सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः । तदा चैतत्कुलं नास्ति यदा शोचन्ति जामयः ॥

apūjitāśca yatraitāḥ sarvāstatrāphalāḥ kriyāḥ | tadā caitatkulaṃ nāsti yadā śocanti jāmayaḥ

Where they are not honoured, all rites bear no fruit. That family is no more when the women of the house grieve.

Note on the text: The page's couplet = CE 13.46.5c and 5e (the critical edition's verse 5 is a three-line verse with a star line between); second line varies from CE ('tadaiva tat kulaṃ nāsti yadā śocanti jāmayaḥ'); the page's 'तदा चैतत्कुलं' is a valid variant, kept. Its first line therefore falls under the same CE verse 13.46.5 as the preceding verse.

Verse 7 (13.81.7)

जामीशप्तानि गेहानि निकृत्तानीव कृत्यया । नैव भान्ति न वर्धन्ते श्रिया हीनानि पार्थिव ॥

jāmīśaptāni gehāni nikṛttānīva kṛtyayā | naiva bhānti na vardhante śriyā hīnāni pārthiva

Houses cursed by the women of the family perish as if cut down by sorcery; they neither shine nor grow, but are bereft of prosperity, O king.

Verse 8 (13.81.8)

स्त्रियः पुंसां परिददौ मनुर्जिगमिषुर्दिवम् । अबलाः स्वल्पकौपीनाः सुहृदः सत्यजिष्णवः ॥

striyaḥ puṃsāṃ paridadau manurjigamiṣurdivam | abalāḥ svalpakaupīnāḥ suhṛdaḥ satyajiṣṇavaḥ

Manu, when about to go to heaven, entrusted women to men, who are weak, scantily clad, affectionate, and victorious through truth.

Note on the text: Corrected सुहृद → सुहृदः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped visarga; CE 'suhṛdaḥ').

Verse 9 (13.81.9)

ईर्षवो मानकामाश्च चण्डाश्च सुहृदोऽबुधाः । स्त्रियस्तु मानमर्हन्ति ता मानयत मानवाः ॥

īrṣavo mānakāmāśca caṇḍāśca suhṛdo'budhāḥ | striyastu mānamarhanti tā mānayata mānavāḥ

They are quick to jealousy, hungry for respect, fierce, loving and unreasoning; yet women deserve respect, so honour them, O men.

Note on the text: First line varies from CE 13.46.8a ('īrṣyavo mānakāmāś ca caṇḍā asuhṛdo 'budhāḥ'); the page's 'सुहृदोऽबुधाः' is a valid variant, kept.

Verse 10 (13.81.10)

स्त्रीप्रत्ययो हि वै धर्मो रतिभोगाश्च केवलाः । परिचर्या नमस्कारास्तदायत्ता भवन्तु वः ॥

strīpratyayo hi vai dharmo ratibhogāśca kevalāḥ | paricaryā namaskārāstadāyattā bhavantu vaḥ

Your dharma rests on women, as do the pleasures of love alone; may service and salutations also depend on them.

Note on the text: Second line varies from CE 13.46.9c ('paricaryānnasaṃskārās tadāyattā bhavantu vaḥ'); the page's 'परिचर्या नमस्काराः' is a valid variant, kept.

Verse 11 (13.81.11)

उत्पादनमपत्यस्य जातस्य परिपालनम् । प्रीत्यर्थं लोकयात्रायाः पश्यत स्त्रीनिबन्धनम् ॥

utpādanamapatyasya jātasya paripālanam | prītyarthaṃ lokayātrāyāḥ paśyata strīnibandhanam

The begetting of offspring, the rearing of what is born, and the conduct of worldly life for the sake of delight: see that all of it rests on women.

Verse 12 (13.81.12)

सम्मान्यमानाश्चैता हि सर्वकार्याण्यवाप्स्यथ । विदेहराजदुहिता चात्र श्लोकमगायत ॥

sammānyamānāścaitā hi sarvakāryāṇyavāpsyatha | videharājaduhitā cātra ślokamagāyata

If you honour them, you will accomplish all your tasks through them. On this matter the daughter of the king of Videha sang a verse.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वकार्याष्यवाप्स्यथ → सर्वकार्याण्यवाप्स्यथ (misprint in Wikisource; ष्य for ण्य; CE 'sarvakāryāṇy avāpsyatha').

Verse 13 (13.81.13)

नास्ति यज्ञः स्त्रियाः कश्चिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम् । धर्मः स्वभर्तृशुश्रूषा तया स्वर्गं जयन्त्युत ॥

nāsti yajñaḥ striyāḥ kaścinna śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam | dharmaḥ svabhartṛśuśrūṣā tayā svargaṃ jayantyuta

For a woman there is no sacrifice, no shraddha, no fast; her dharma is service to her own husband, and by that they win heaven.

Note on the text: Corrected नोप्रवासकम् → नोपवासकम् (misprint in Wikisource; spurious र; CE 'nopavāsakam'). Second line varies from CE 13.46.12c ('dharmas tu bhartṛśuśrūṣā tayā svargaṃ jayaty uta'); the page's plural 'जयन्त्युत' is a valid variant, kept.

Verse 14 (13.81.14)

पिता रक्षति कौमारे भर्ता रक्षति यौवने । पुत्राश्च स्थाविरे भावे न स्त्री स्वातन्त्र्यमर्हति ॥

pitā rakṣati kaumāre bhartā rakṣati yauvane | putrāśca sthāvire bhāve na strī svātantryamarhati

Her father protects her in childhood, her husband in youth, and her sons in old age; a woman is not fit for independence.

Note on the text: Aligned by hand to CE 13.46.13 (CE 'pitā rakṣati kaumāre bhartā rakṣati yauvane / putrās tu sthavirībhāve na strī svātantryam arhati'; the page's 'पुत्राश्च स्थाविरे भावे' is a valid variant, kept).

Verse 15 (13.81.15)

श्रिय एताः स्त्रियो नाम सत्कार्या भूतिमिच्छता । लालिताऽनुगृहीता च श्रीः स्त्री भवति भारत ॥

śriya etāḥ striyo nāma satkāryā bhūtimicchatā | lālitā'nugṛhītā ca śrīḥ strī bhavati bhārata

These women are indeed forms of Shri; one who wants prosperity should honour them. A woman who is cherished and favoured becomes Shri herself, O Bharata.

Note on the text: Corrected भारतः → भारत (misprint in Wikisource; spurious visarga on the vocative; CE 'bhārata'). Second line varies from CE 13.46.14c ('lālitā nigṛhītā ca'); the page's 'अनुगृहीता' is a valid variant, kept.