Yudhishthira Asks About the Greatness of Devoted Wives

Verse 1 (3.208.1)

ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा मार्कण्डेयं महाद्युतिम् । पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठ धर्मप्रश्नं स दुर्वचम् ॥

tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā mārkaṇḍeyaṃ mahādyutim | papraccha bharataśreṣṭha dharmapraśnaṃ sa durvacam

Then King Yudhishthira, O best of the Bharatas, put to the radiant Markandeya a question on dharma that was hard to answer.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रपच्छ → पप्रच्छ (misprint in Wikisource; the reduplicated perfect, the critical edition reads papraccha). भरतश्रेष्ठ (vocative) and स दुर्वचम् are recension variants of bharataśreṣṭho and sudurvacam and are kept.

Verse 2 (3.208.2)

श्रोतुमिच्छामि भगवन्स्त्रीणां माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । कथ्यमानं त्वया विप्र सूक्ष्मं धर्म्यं च तत्त्वतः ॥

śrotumicchāmi bhagavanstrīṇāṃ māhātmyamuttamam | kathyamānaṃ tvayā vipra sūkṣmaṃ dharmyaṃ ca tattvataḥ

"Holy one, I wish to hear from you, O brahmin, the supreme greatness of women, told truly and with all its subtle righteousness.

Note on the text: Corrected माहातम्यम् → माहात्म्यम् (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct, the critical edition reads māhātmyam). धर्म्यं is a recension variant of dharmaṃ and is kept.

Verse 3 (3.208.3)

प्रत्यक्षमिह विप्रर्षे देवा दृश्यन्ति सत्तम । सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ वायुः पृथिवी वह्निरेव च ॥

pratyakṣamiha viprarṣe devā dṛśyanti sattama | sūryācandramasau vāyuḥ pṛthivī vahnireva ca

Here before our eyes, O brahmin seer, best of the virtuous, the gods are seen: the sun and the moon, the wind, the earth and fire;

Verse 4 (3.208.4)

पिता माता च भगवन्गाव एव च सत्तम । यच्चान्यदेव विहितं तच्चापि भृगुनन्दन ॥

pitā mātā ca bhagavangāva eva ca sattama | yaccānyadeva vihitaṃ taccāpi bhṛgunandana

father and mother too, holy one, and the cows, O best of men, and whatever else has been ordained, O delight of the Bhrigus.

Note on the text: Corrected भगवान् → भगवन् (misprint in Wikisource; nominative for the vocative addressed to Markandeya, as in the next lines; the critical edition reads bhagavan).

Verse 5 (3.208.5)

मन्येऽहं गुरुवत्सर्वमेकपत्न्यस्तथा स्त्रियः । पतिव्रतानां शुश्रूषा दुष्करा प्रतिभाति मे । पतिव्रतानां माहात्म्यं वक्तुमर्हसि नः प्रभो ॥

manye'haṃ guruvatsarvamekapatnyastathā striyaḥ | pativratānāṃ śuśrūṣā duṣkarā pratibhāti me | pativratānāṃ māhātmyaṃ vaktumarhasi naḥ prabho

All these I regard as worthy of reverence, like elders, and so too women devoted to one husband. The service of devoted wives seems to me very hard to perform. Pray tell us, my lord, the greatness of devoted wives,

Note on the text: Corrected महात्म्यं → माहात्म्यं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped vowel sign, the critical edition reads māhātmyaṃ). Lines 1–2 are the critical edition's 3.196.5; line 3 is its 3.196.6ab.

Verse 6 (3.208.6)

निरुध्य चेन्द्रियग्रामं मनः संरुध्य चानघ । पतिं दैवतवच्चापि चिन्तयन्त्यः स्थिता हि याः ॥

nirudhya cendriyagrāmaṃ manaḥ saṃrudhya cānagha | patiṃ daivatavaccāpi cintayantyaḥ sthitā hi yāḥ

of those who restrain the whole host of their senses and hold the mind in check, O sinless one, and remain thinking of their husband as of a god.

Note on the text: Corrected चिन्तयन्त्य … या → चिन्तयन्त्यः … याः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped visargas, the critical edition reads cintayantyaḥ sthitā hi yāḥ). This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.6cd–ef.

Verse 7 (3.208.7)

भगवन्दुष्करं त्वेतत्प्रतिभाति मम प्रभो । मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषा स्त्रीणां भर्तरि च द्विज ॥

bhagavanduṣkaraṃ tvetatpratibhāti mama prabho | mātāpitrośca śuśrūṣā strīṇāṃ bhartari ca dvija

This seems to me a hard thing indeed, holy lord: the service women give to mother and father and to their husband, O brahmin.

Verse 8 (3.208.8)

स्त्रीणां धर्मात्सुघोराद्धि नान्यं पश्यामि दुष्करम् । साध्वाचाराः स्त्रियो ब्रह्मन्कुर्वन्तीह सदादृताः ॥

strīṇāṃ dharmātsughorāddhi nānyaṃ paśyāmi duṣkaram | sādhvācārāḥ striyo brahmankurvantīha sadādṛtāḥ

I see nothing harder than the stern dharma of women, which virtuous women, held in honour, always carry out here, O brahmin.

Note on the text: Corrected ब्र्हमन् → ब्रह्मन् (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct). This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.8ab–cd; कुर्वन्तीह is a recension variant of yat kurvanti and is kept.

Verse 9 (3.208.9)

दुष्करं खलु कुर्वन्ति पितरो मातरश्च वै । एकपत्न्यश्च या नार्यो याश्च सत्यं वदन्त्युत ॥

duṣkaraṃ khalu kurvanti pitaro mātaraśca vai | ekapatnyaśca yā nāryo yāśca satyaṃ vadantyuta

Hard indeed is what fathers and mothers do; and the women devoted to one husband, and those who speak the truth,

Note on the text: Corrected याश् → याश्च (misprint in Wikisource; dropped च, the critical edition reads yāś ca). This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.8ef–9ab; खलु is a recension variant of bata and is kept.

Verse 10 (3.208.10)

कुक्षिणा दशमासांश्च गर्भं संधारयन्ति याः । नार्यः कालेन संभूय किमद्भुततरं ततः ॥

kukṣiṇā daśamāsāṃśca garbhaṃ saṃdhārayanti yāḥ | nāryaḥ kālena saṃbhūya kimadbhutataraṃ tataḥ

the women who carry the unborn child in the womb for ten months and in time give it birth: what could be more wonderful than that?

Note on the text: Corrected संबूय → संभूय (misprint in Wikisource; ब for भ, the critical edition reads saṃbhūya). This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.9cd–ef.

Verse 11 (3.208.11)

संशयं परमं प्राप्य वेदनामतुलामपि । प्रजायन्ते सुतान्नार्यो दुःखेन महता विभो ॥

saṃśayaṃ paramaṃ prāpya vedanāmatulāmapi | prajāyante sutānnāryo duḥkhena mahatā vibho

Facing grave danger and pain beyond measure, women bring forth sons with great suffering, O lord,

Note on the text: This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.10ab–cd.

Verse 12 (3.208.12)

पुष्णन्ति चापि महता स्नेहेन द्विजपुङ्गव । चिन्तयन्ति ततश्चापि किंशीलोऽयं भविष्यति ॥

puṣṇanti cāpi mahatā snehena dvijapuṅgava | cintayanti tataścāpi kiṃśīlo'yaṃ bhaviṣyati

and they nourish them with great love, O bull among brahmins; and then they keep wondering what kind of character the child will have.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki quote marks (` … ') around the second line and separated किंशीलोऽयंभविष्यति → किंशीलोऽयं भविष्यति (words run together). Line 1 is the critical edition's 3.196.10ef; line 2 is not in its constituted text, but its apparatus has it as the insertion 3.196.10f*0995.

Verse 13 (3.208.13)

याश्च क्रूरेषु सर्वेषु वर्तमाना जुगुप्सिताः । स्वकर्म कुर्वन्ति सदा दुष्करं तच्च मे मतम् ॥

yāśca krūreṣu sarveṣu vartamānā jugupsitāḥ | svakarma kurvanti sadā duṣkaraṃ tacca me matam

And those women who, living amid everything harsh and despised, still always do their own duty: that too I count as hard.

Verse 14 (3.208.14)

क्षत्रधर्मसमाचारतत्त्वं व्याख्याहि मे द्विज । धर्मः सुदुर्लभो विप्र नृशंसेन महात्मना ॥

kṣatradharmasamācāratattvaṃ vyākhyāhi me dvija | dharmaḥ sudurlabho vipra nṛśaṃsena mahātmanā

Explain to me, O brahmin, the true conduct of the warrior's dharma. Dharma is very hard to attain, O brahmin, for one who is cruel, even if he be great of soul.

Verse 15 (3.208.15)

एतदिच्छामि भगवन्प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदांवर । श्रोतुं भृगुकुलश्रेष्ठ शुश्रूषे तव सुव्रत ॥

etadicchāmi bhagavanpraśnaṃ praśnavidāṃvara | śrotuṃ bhṛgukulaśreṣṭha śuśrūṣe tava suvrata

This is the question I wish to have answered, holy one, best of those who know how to answer questions. I wish to hear it, O best of the Bhrigu line; I am eager to listen to you, O man of good vows."

Verse 16 (3.208.16)

हन्त तेऽहं समाख्यास्ये प्रश्नमेतं सुदुर्वचम् । तत्त्वेन भरतश्रेष्ठ गदतस्तन्निबोध मे ॥

hanta te'haṃ samākhyāsye praśnametaṃ sudurvacam | tattvena bharataśreṣṭha gadatastannibodha me

"Very well, I shall explain this question, hard as it is to answer, truly, O best of the Bharatas. Listen to me as I speak.

Verse 17 (3.208.17)

मातरं श्रेयसीं तात पितॄनन्ये तु मेनिरे । दुष्करं कुरुते माता विवर्धयति या प्रजाः ॥

mātaraṃ śreyasīṃ tāta pitṝnanye tu menire | duṣkaraṃ kurute mātā vivardhayati yā prajāḥ

Some, my son, have held the mother to be the greater, others the fathers. The mother, who rears the children, does a hard thing.

Note on the text: Corrected पितृन् → पितॄन् (misprint in Wikisource; short ṛ in the accusative plural, the critical edition reads pitṝn) and मातरंश्रेयसीं → मातरं श्रेयसीं (words run together). श्रेयसीं … मेनिरे is a recension variant of sadṛśīṃ … manyate and is kept.

Verse 18 (3.208.18)

तपसा देवतेज्याभिर्वन्दनेन तितिक्षया । सुप्रशस्तैरुपायैश्चापीहन्ते पितरः सुतान् ॥

tapasā devatejyābhirvandanena titikṣayā | supraśastairupāyaiścāpīhante pitaraḥ sutān

By austerity, by worship of the gods, by homage, by forbearance and by other well-approved means, fathers strive to obtain sons.

Verse 19 (3.208.19)

एवं कृच्छ्रेण महता पुत्रं प्राप्य सुदुर्लभम् । चिन्तयन्ति सदा वीर कीदृशोऽयं भविष्यति ॥

evaṃ kṛcchreṇa mahatā putraṃ prāpya sudurlabham | cintayanti sadā vīra kīdṛśo'yaṃ bhaviṣyati

Having thus gained, through great hardship, a son so hard to obtain, they are always anxious, O hero, about what kind of person he will become.

Verse 20 (3.208.20)

आशंसते हि पुत्रेषु पिता माता च भारत । यशः कीर्तिमथैश्वर्यं तेजो धर्मं तथैव च ॥

āśaṃsate hi putreṣu pitā mātā ca bhārata | yaśaḥ kīrtimathaiśvaryaṃ tejo dharmaṃ tathaiva ca

For father and mother, O Bharata, hope to see in their sons fame, renown and prosperity, splendour and dharma as well.

Verse 21 (3.208.21)

मातुः पितुश्च राजेन्द्र सततं हितकारिणोः । तयोराशां तु सफलां यः करोति स धर्मवित् ॥

mātuḥ pituśca rājendra satataṃ hitakāriṇoḥ | tayorāśāṃ tu saphalāṃ yaḥ karoti sa dharmavit

He who makes fruitful the hopes of his mother and father, O king of kings, who always seek his good, is one who knows dharma.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki quote marks (` … ') around the first line and corrected हितकारिंणोः → हितकारिणोः (misprint in Wikisource; stray anusvara). Line 1 is not in the critical edition's constituted text; its apparatus has it as the insertion 3.196.18d*0997 (with hitakāriṇaḥ). Line 2 is the critical edition's 3.196.19ab.

Verse 22 (3.208.22)

पिता माता च राजेन्द्र तुष्यतो यस्य नित्यशः । इह प्रेत्य च तस्याथ कीर्तिर्धर्मश्च शाश्वतः ॥

pitā mātā ca rājendra tuṣyato yasya nityaśaḥ | iha pretya ca tasyātha kīrtirdharmaśca śāśvataḥ

He with whom his father and mother are always pleased, O king of kings, wins fame and dharma that last for ever, in this world and the next.

Note on the text: Corrected यस् → यस्य and धर्मश्र → धर्मश्च (misprint in Wikisource; dropped akshara and र for च, the critical edition reads yasya … dharmaś ca). This verse is the critical edition's 3.196.19cd–ef; नित्यशः is a recension variant of nityadā and is kept.

Verse 23 (3.208.23)

नैव यज्ञक्रियाः काश्चिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम् । या तु भर्तरि शुश्रूषा तया स्वर्गं जयत्युत ॥

naiva yajñakriyāḥ kāścinna śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam | yā tu bhartari śuśrūṣā tayā svargaṃ jayatyuta

For a woman there is no rite of sacrifice at all, no ancestral offering, no fast; by service to her husband she wins heaven.

Verse 24 (3.208.24)

एतत्प्रकरणं राजन्नधिकृत्य युधिष्ठिर । पतिव्रतानां नियतं धर्मं चावहितः शृणु ॥

etatprakaraṇaṃ rājannadhikṛtya yudhiṣṭhira | pativratānāṃ niyataṃ dharmaṃ cāvahitaḥ śṛṇu

On this very subject, King Yudhishthira, listen attentively to the fixed dharma of devoted wives."

Note on the text: Corrected चावाहितः → चावहितः (misprint in Wikisource; long ā for short a, "attentively"; the critical edition reads cāvahitaḥ).