Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 40


Sanskrit:

धिगप्रजां स्त्रियं पापां पत्युश्चागृहसम्मताम् ।सुप्रजाभि: सपत्नीभिर्दासीमिव तिरस्कृताम् ॥ ४० ॥

ITRANS:

dhig aprajāṁ striyaṁ pāpāṁpatyuś cāgṛha-sammatāmsuprajābhiḥ sapatnībhirdāsīm iva tiraskṛtām

Translation:

A wife who has no sons is neglected at home by her husband and dishonored by her co-wives exactly like a maidservant. Certainly such a woman is condemned in every respect because of her sinful life.

Purport:

As stated by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita: “A person who has no mother at home and whose wife does not speak sweetly should go to the forest. For such a person, living at home and living in the forest are equal.” Similarly, for a woman who has no son, who is not cared for by her husband and whose co-wives neglect her, treating her like a maidservant, to go to the forest is better than to remain at home.