Jan 28, 2014 — INDIA (SUN) — Maharaja Yudhisthira next inquired, "Which mountains, rivers, ashrams and holy places are considered to be the most sacred?" Bhishma replied, "Wherever the Ganga flows becomes the most sacred of all holy places.
Anyone who resides on the shore of the Ganga attains a very exalted destination after death. Even those whose bones are thrown into the Ganga, or who had received Ganga water sprinkled upon their bodies at the time of death, go to dwell in heaven."
Maharaja Yudhisthira requested, "My dear Grandfather, I would like to hear more about the nature of women. It is well known that women are very fickle, and sometimes they are described as the root of all evil."
Bhishma replied by describing Narada Muni's meeting with the faultlessly beautiful Apsara, Panchachuda. When Narada Muni requested the Apsara to speak on this very subject, at first, she replied, "My dear great sage, you already know very well about the disposition of women! Why are you asking me to talk on this subject? Because I am a woman, you cannot expect me to speak ill of my kind. It is not proper for you to ask such a thing of me."
Finally, after Narada's repeated urging, Panchachuda spoke as follows: "Devarshi, no matter how well-born she may be, and no matter how good a husband she may have, a woman will always be ready to disregard him and transgress the restraints that are placed upon her."
"Actually, women hate to be controlled. On the other hand, they very much appreciate any man who approaches them to render very respectful service. Be he handsome or ugly, as long as he is a man, a woman is ready to enjoy his company. It is only lack of opportunity, fear of relatives, and inborn shyness that cause a woman to faithfully remain by the side of her husband. Women are by nature extremely restless, and because of this, they always hanker after newer and newer male companions. They will even show affection for a man who is lame, blind, very ugly, or an idiot."
"Narada, factually speaking, the nature of women is inscrutable. Women are incapable of being controlled simply by affectionate treatment, because they are never satisfied with men, just as fire never becomes satisfied by any amount of fuel. As soon as a woman sees a very charming and handsome man, she becomes very lusty, so that she will show more regard for him than her husband."
At this point, Maharaja Yudhisthira remarked, "Despite the fact that women have so many faults, men are invariably seen to become extremely attached to them. Thus, it appears that women have some kind of special mystic power. The intelligence of women is so subtle and cunning- it seems to me that Brihaspati must have evolved the science of diplomacy only after having carefully observed their nature."
"Women are so clever and devious that they can make truth appear to be a lie, and a lie appear to be truth. Just like cows, seeking newer and newer pastures, women forever seek new friendships with men. Considering all this, how can a woman be controlled? It doesn't matter whether a man treats her respectfully or with disdain- she will turn her attention toward him just to agitate his heart. Has there ever been an instance where a man has succeeded in restraining a woman's body, mind and words?"
Bhishma replied, "All that you have said is perfectly true, for there is no more sinful creature than a woman. A woman is illusion, a razor's edge, a snake and poison rolled into one.
Bhishma next spoke about different types of marriage, the procedure for giving a dowry, inheritance, and the subject of mixed castes. In the course of his instructions, Bhishma said, "My dear Yudhisthira, a brahmana is allowed to have up to three wives. Some people say- along with the wives that he marries for acquiring virtue, a brahmana can accept a shudra girl for the purpose of sensual enjoyment. But, this is a degraded practice that is never to be accepted by a brahmana who is interested in elevating himself by purification."
"A 21-year-old man should marry a girl that is 7. A thirty-year-old man should marry a girl of 10. If, after attaining puberty, a girl has not received a husband from her father, she should wait for three years. After that, if her father has still neglected to get her married, a girl should find a husband on her own."
When Maharaja Yudhisthira inquired about the nature of compassion, Bhishma gave this nice explanation: "My dear Yudhisthira, a person's compassion becomes especially aroused upon seeing the distressed condition of others, by living with others in close association, and by seeing those that are by nature helpless and dependent- such as women, children, cows, the aged, and brahmanas."
In the course of Bhishma's narrations, he related this incident. The sapta-rishis once entered a lake to gather lotus stalks. Coming out of the water, they put the stalks in a pile and once again entered the lake to perform their religious duties. When they came out of the lake, they discovered that the lotus stalks were gone. The rishis became very upset and started to accuse one another of theft. At last, it was agreed that each rishi would have to profess his innocence by uttering a curse upon the guilty person.
Thus, one of the rishis declared, "May whoever has stolen the lotus stalks give up the study of the Vedas!" The others declared, one after another, "May the thief become a surrendered servant of lust, anger and greed!" "May he who stole the stalks marry after taking sannyasa!" "May the thief become supported by the earnings of his wife!" "May the culprit engage in sexual intercourse with a shudra woman, or during the daylight!" "May whoever stole the stalks become cruel in behavior, disrespectful toward the Vedas, and may he pass urine while facing the sun!"
