भीष्म उवाच तमागतमभिप्रेक्ष्य शिष्यं वाक्यमथाब्रवीत्। देवशर्मा महातेजा यत् तच्छृणु जनाधिप॥
Bhishma said Seeing his disciple returned from his mission, Devasharman of great energy addressed him in words which I shall recite to you, O king.
देवशर्मन् उवाच किं ते विपुल दृष्टं वै तस्मिन् शिष्य महावने। ते त्वां जानन्ति विपुल आत्मा च रुचिरेव च॥
Devasharman said What have you seen, O Vipula, in course of your journey. O disciple, through the great forest? Then whom you have seen knew, you, O Vipula. I, as also my wife Ruchi, know how you had acted in the matter of protecting Ruchi.
विपुल उवाच ब्रह्मर्षे मिथुनं किं तत् के च ते पुरुषा विभो। ये मां जानन्ति तत्त्वेन यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि।॥
Vipula said O twiceborn Rishi, who are those two whom I first saw? Who also are those other six whom I saw afterwards? All of them know me. Who indeed, are they to whom you prefer in your speech to me?
देवशर्मन् उवाच यद् वै तन्मिथुनं ब्रह्मन्नहोरात्रं हि विद्धि तत्। चक्रवत् परिवर्तेत तत् ते जानाति दुष्कृतम्॥
Devasharman said The first couple, O twiceborn one, whom you saw, are, Day and Night. They are ceaselessly moving like a circle. Both of them know the sin you have committed.
ये च ते पुरुषा विप्र अक्षैर्दीव्यन्ति हृष्टवत्। ऋतूंस्तानभिजानीहि ते ते जानन्ति दुष्कृतम्॥
Those other men (six in number) whom, O learned Brahmana, you saw playing cheerfully at dice, are the six Seasons. They also are acquainted with your sins.
न मां कश्चिद् विजानीत इति कृत्वा न विश्वसेत्। नरो रहसि पापात्मा पापकं कर्म वै द्विज॥
Having committed a sin secretly, no sinful man should cherish the assuring thought that his sin is known only to himself and not to any one else.
कुर्वाणं हि नरं कर्म पापं रहसि सर्वदा। पश्यन्ति ऋतवश्चापि तथा दिननिशेऽप्युत॥
When a man commits a sinful deed in secret, the Seasons as also Day and Night see it always.
तथैव हि भवेयुस्ते लोकाः पापकृतो यथा। कृत्वा नाचक्षतः कर्म मम तच्च यथाकृतम्॥
Those regions that are reserved for the sinful shall be yours. What you had done, you did not tell me. That your sin was not known to any one, was your belief, and this conviction had filled you with joy.
ते त्वां हर्षस्मितं दृष्ट्वा गुरोः कर्मानिवेदकम्। स्मारयन्तस्तथा प्राहुस्ते यथा श्रुतवान् भवान्॥
You did not inform your preceptor of the whole truth, choosing to hide from him a substantial portion. The Seasons, and Day and Night whom you have heard speak thus, thought it proper to remind you of your sin.
अहोरात्रं विजानाति ऋतवश्चापि नित्यशः। पुरुषे पापकं कर्म शुभं वा शुभकर्मिणः॥
Day and Night and the Seasons, do know all the good and the bad deeds, that are in a man.
तत् त्वया मम यत् कर्म व्यभिचाराद् भयात्मकम्। नाख्यातमिति जानन्तस्ते त्वामाहुस्तथा द्विज॥
They spoke to you in that way, O twice born one, because they have full knowledge of what you had done but which you had not the courage to inform me of, fearing you had done wrong.
तेनैव हि भवेयुस्ते लोकाः पापकृतो यथा। कृत्वा नाचक्षत: कर्म मम यच्च त्वया कृतम्॥
For this reason you will visit the regions that are reserved for the sinful. You did not tell me what you had done.
त्वयाशक्या च दुर्वृत्त्या रक्षितुं प्रमदा द्विजा न च त्वं कृतवान् किंचिदतः प्रीतोऽस्मि तेन ते॥
You were fully capable, O twiceborn one, of protecting my wife whose disposition, by nature is sinful. In doing what you did, you did not commit any sin I was for this, pleased with you.
यदि त्वहं त्वां दुर्वृत्तमद्राक्षं द्विजसत्तम। शपेयं त्वामहं क्रोधान्न मेऽत्रास्ति विचारणा॥
O best of Brahmanas, if I had known you to have acted wickedly, I would, without hesitation, have cursed you entirely.
सज्जन्ति पुरुषे नार्य:पुंसां सोऽर्थश्च पुष्कलः। अन्यथारक्षतः शापोऽभविष्यत् ते मतिश्च मे॥
Women become united with men, Such union, is very desirable with men. You had, however, protected my wife in a different spirit. If you had acted otherwise, I would have cursed. Even this is what I think.
रक्षिता च त्वया पुत्र मम चापि निवेदिता। अहं ते प्रीतिमांस्तात स्वस्थः स्वर्गं गमिष्यसि॥
You had, O son, protected my wife I have known the manner in which you had done it as if you had yourself informed me of it. I have,O son, become pleased with you. Relieved of all anxiety, you shall go to heaven.
इत्युक्त्वा विपुलं प्रीतो देवशर्मा महानृषिः। मुमोद स्वर्गमास्थाय सहभार्यः सशिष्यकः॥
Having said these words to Vipula, the great Rishi Devasharman, ascended to Heaven with his wife and his disciple and began to pass his time there in great happiness.
इदमाख्यातवांश्चापि ममाख्यानं महामुनिः। मार्कण्डेयः पुरा राजन् गङ्गाकूले कथान्तरे॥
In course of conversation, o king, on a former occasion, the great ascetic Markandeya had described to me this history on the banks of Ganga.
तस्माद् ब्रवीमि पार्थ त्वां स्त्रियो रक्ष्याः सदैव च। उभयं दृश्यते तासु सततं साध्वसाधु च॥
I therefore, recite it to you. Women should always be protected by you. Amongst them both kinds are to be seen, that is those who are virtuous and those who are not so.
स्त्रियः साध्व्यो महाभागाः सम्मता लोकमातरः। धारयन्ति महीं राजन्निमां सवनकाननाम्॥
The virtuous women are highly blessed. They are the mothers of the universe. They, it is, o king, that keep up the Earth with all her waters and forests.
असाध्व्यश्चापि दुर्वृत्ताः कुलनाः पापनिश्चयाः। विज्ञेया लक्षणैर्दुष्टैः स्वगात्रसहजैर्नृप॥
Those women who are sinful, who are of wicked conduct, who are the destroyer of their race, and who are wedded to sinful purposes, are capable of being ascertained by marks, expressive of the evil that is in them, which appear, O king, on their persons.
एवमेतासु रक्षा वै शक्या कर्तुं महात्मभिः। अन्यथा राजशार्दूल न शक्या रक्षितुं स्त्रियः॥
It is thus that great persons are capable of protecting women. They cannot, O foremost of kings, be protected in any other way.
एता हि मनुजव्याघ्र तीक्ष्णास्तीक्ष्णपराक्रमाः। नासामस्ति प्रियो नाम मैथुने सङ्गमेति यः॥
Women, O king are fierce. They are gifted with fierce prowess. They have none whom they love or like, so much as them that have sexual intercourse with them.
एताः कृत्याश्च कार्याश्च कृताश्च भरतर्षभ। न चैकस्मिन् रमन्त्येताः पुरुषे पाण्डुनन्दन॥
Women are like those (Atharvan) Mantrams which destroy life. Even after they have consented to live with one, they are prepared to leave him joining others. They are never satisfied with one person of the opposite sex, O son of Pandu.
नासां स्नेहो नरैः कार्यस्तथैवेर्ध्या जनेश्वर। खेदमास्थाय भुञ्जीत धर्ममास्थाय चैव ह॥
Men should not love them, Nor should they cherish any jealousy on account of them, O king! Only for the sake of virtue, men should enjoy their society, not with enthusiasm and attachment but with unwillingness and absence of attachment.
निहन्यादन्यथाकुर्वन् नरः कौरवनन्दन। सर्वथा राजशार्दूल मुक्तिः सर्वत्र पूज्यते॥
By acting otherwise a man is sure to meet with destruction, O delighter of the Kurus. O foremost of kings, reason is respected at all times and under all circumstances.
तेनैकने तु रक्षा वै विपुलेन कृता स्त्रियाः। नान्यः शक्तस्त्रिलोकेऽस्मिन् रक्षितुं नृप योषितम्।।२७
Only one man viz., Vipula, had succeeded in protecting woman. There is none else, o king, in the three worlds who can protect women.