Shloka 12
Adhyāya 71: Kaca and the Saṃjīvanī-vidyā
Devayānī–Śukra Episode
का त्वं कस्यासि सुश्रोणि किमर्थ चागता वनम् । एवंरूपगुणोपेता कुतस्त्वमसि शोभने,“मनोहर कटिप्रदेशसे सुशोभित सुन्दरी! तुम कौन हो? किसकी पुत्री हो? और किसलिये इस वनमें आयी हो? शोभने! तुममें ऐसे अद्भुत रूप और गुणोंका विकास कैसे हुआ है?
kā tvaṁ kasyāsi suśroṇi kimarthaṁ cāgatā vanam | evaṁrūpaguṇopetā kutas tvam asi śobhane ||
«يا حسناءَ القدِّ رشيقةَ الخصر، من أنتِ، وابنةُ مَن أنتِ؟ ولأيِّ غرضٍ جئتِ إلى هذه الغابة؟ أيتها الجميلة، من أين لكِ هذا الحسنُ الباهرُ وهذه الخصالُ الرفيعة؟»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: before judging or acting, one seeks a person’s identity, intention, and circumstances. It also links outer beauty with inner virtues (guṇa), implying that excellence invites respectful questioning rather than rash assumptions.
The narrator reports a speaker addressing a remarkable woman encountered in the forest, asking who she is, whose daughter she is, why she has come there, and how she possesses such notable beauty and virtues—setting up her backstory and the cause of her presence in the wilderness.