Shloka 4

Vivāha-dharma: Kanyā-pradāna, Śulka, and Pāṇigrahaṇa-niṣṭhā (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४४)

Devanagari script

रुचिं च रुचिरापाजड़ीं पीनश्रोणिपयोधराम्‌ । पद्मपत्रविशालाक्षीं सम्पूर्णेन्दुनिभाननाम्‌

Transliteration

ruciṃ ca rucirāpāṅgīṃ pīnaśroṇipayodharām | padmapatraviśālākṣīṃ sampūrṇendunibhānanām ||

Translation

তখন রুচি প্রকাশ পেল—মধুর পার্শ্বদৃষ্টিতে শোভিতা, স্থূল নিতম্ব ও পীন স্তনে বিভূষিতা; বিকশিত পদ্মপত্রসম বিশাল নয়না, পূর্ণচন্দ্রসম মুখমণ্ডলা।

Word by Word

• रुचिम्: Ruchi (a woman named Ruci)
• रुचिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुचि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• रुचिर-अपाङ्गीम्: having charming side-glances
• रुचिर-अपाङ्गीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुचिर-अपाङ्गिन्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पीन-श्रोणि-पयोधराम्: with full hips and full breasts
• पीन-श्रोणि-पयोधराम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीन-श्रोणि-पयोधर
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पद्मपत्र-विशाल-अक्षीम्: lotus-petal-like large-eyed
• पद्मपत्र-विशाल-अक्षीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मपत्र-विशालाक्षि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सम्पूर्ण-इन्दु-निभ-आननाम्: whose face is like the full moon
• सम्पूर्ण-इन्दु-निभ-आननाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्पूर्णेन्दुनिभानना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Ruci

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse is primarily descriptive, using standard poetic similes (lotus-eyes, moon-face) to signal auspicious presence and to characterize Ruci’s appearance; it does not directly state a moral rule, but reflects epic aesthetics where beauty is a narrative indicator of prominence and fortune.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes the appearance of a woman named Ruci, portraying her with conventional markers of beauty—graceful sidelong glances, full form, lotus-like large eyes, and a face like the full moon—indicating that she is seen seated/appearing before the observer in the scene.