Shloka 19
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
तस्यां जज्ञे तदा नद्यां कन्या राजीवलोचना । नाम्ना सुदर्शना राजन् रूपेण च सुदर्शना
tasyāṃ jajñe tadā nadyāṃ kanyā rājīvalocanā | nāmnā sudarśanā rājan rūpeṇa ca sudarśanā ||
قال بهيشما: «وفي ذلك النهر، في ذلك الحين، وُلدت فتاةٌ ذات عينين كزهرة اللوتس. أيها الملك، سُمّيت سُدارشَنا، وفي طلعتها أيضًا كانت حقًّا “سُدارشَنا” — جميلةً وميمونةَ المنظر.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights auspicious birth and the alignment of name and nature: ‘Sudarśanā’ is not only her given name but also a statement about her evident beauty and auspicious presence, reflecting a cultural-ethical idea that qualities can be read as signs of merit and destiny within dharmic narrative.
Bhīṣma narrates that a lotus-eyed girl is born in a river and is introduced by name as Sudarśanā; the repetition emphasizes both her identity and her striking beauty, setting up her significance for the ensuing story.