Shloka 8
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 103: Garuḍa’s Protest, Viṣṇu’s Demonstration, and Counsel Toward Śama
यथा विष्णुकुले लक्ष्मीर्यथा स्वाहा विभावसो: । कुले तव तथैवास्तु गुणकेशी सुमध्यमा
yathā viṣṇukule lakṣmīr yathā svāhā vibhāvasoḥ | kule tava tathaivāstu guṇakeśī sumadhyamā ||
নারদ বললেন—যেমন বিষ্ণুর গৃহে লক্ষ্মী শোভা পান, আর অগ্নির অধিষ্ঠানে স্বাহা সম্মানিত হন, তেমনই সুমধ্যমা সুন্দরী গুণকেশী তোমার কুলে প্রতিষ্ঠিত ও আদৃত হোক।
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys an auspicious benediction: a worthy woman’s presence in a family is likened to divine, ritually sanctioned pairings (Lakṣmī with Viṣṇu; Svāhā with Agni). Ethically, it affirms the dharmic ideal of honoring a virtuous bride/wife as a source of prosperity, harmony, and good repute for the lineage.
Nārada speaks a blessing, using well-known divine associations as similes, wishing that Guṇakeśī may be established with honor in the addressed person’s family—suggesting a marriage or formal acceptance into the lineage and the hope of auspicious continuity.