ful. In doing what thou didst, thou didst not commit any sin. I was,
for this, gratified with thee! O best of Brahmanas, if I had known thee
to have acted wickedly, I would without hesitation, have cursed thee.
Women become united with men. Such union is very desirable with men. Thou
hadst, however, protected my wife in a different spirit. If thou hadst
acted otherwise, a curse would have been uttered upon thee. Even this is
what I think. Thou hadst O son, protected my spouse. The manner in which
thou didst it hath now become known to me as if thou hadst thyself
informed me of it. I have, O son, become gratified with thee. Relieved of
all anxiety, thou shalt go to heaven!' Having said these words unto
Vipula, the great Rishi Devasarman, ascended to heaven with his wife and
his disciple and began to pass his time there in great happiness. In
course of conversation, O king, on a former occasion, the great ascetic
Markandeya had narrated to me this history on the banks of the Ganga. I,
therefore, recite to thee. Women should always be protected by thee (from
temptations and opportunities of every kind). Amongst them both kinds are
to be seen, that is, those that are virtuous and those that are not so.
Those women that are virtuous are highly blessed. They are the mothers of
the universe (for they it is that cherish all creatures on every side).
They it is, O king, that uphold the earth with all her waters and
forests. Those women that are sinful, that are of wicked behaviour, that
are the destroyers of their races, and that are wedded to sinful
resolves, are capable of being ascertained by indications, expressive of
the evil that is in them, which appear, O king, on their bodies. It is
even thus that high-souled persons are capable of protecting women. They
cannot, O tiger among kings, be protected in any other way. Women, O
chief of men, are fierce. They are endued with fierce prowess. They have
none whom they love or like so much as they that have sexual congress
with them. Women are like those (Atharvan) incantations that are
destructive of life. Even after they have consented to live with one,
they are prepared to abandon him for entering into engagements with
others. They are never satisfied with one person of the opposite sex, O
son of Pandu! Men should feel no affection for them. Nor should they
entertain any jealousy on account of them. O king, having a regard only
for the considerations of virtue, men should enjoy th