Shloka 17
Ruru–Pramadvarā: Lineage, Fosterage, Betrothal, and the Snakebite Crisis (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 8)
तत: कतिपयाहस्य विवाहे समुपस्थिते । सखीभ्रि: क्रीडती सार्थ सा कन्या वरवर्णिनी,तदनन्तर जब विवाहका मुहूर्त निकट आ गया, उसी समय वह सुन्दरी कन्या सखियोंके साथ क्रीड़ा करती हुई वनमें घूमने लगी
tataḥ katipayāhasya vivāhe samupasthite | sakhībhiḥ krīḍatī sārthaṃ sā kanyā varavarṇinī ||
Śaunaka sprach: Als die Hochzeit, die schon in wenigen Tagen stattfinden sollte, näher rückte, ging jenes schöne Mädchen, von ihren Freundinnen begleitet, spielend im Wald umher.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse situates personal life within dharma-governed social transitions: as a major rite (vivāha) approaches, ordinary play continues, subtly reminding that pivotal duties and life-changes can arrive while one is absorbed in everyday pleasures—often a prelude to moral testing in the epic.
As the wedding time nears in a few days, the beautiful maiden, accompanied by her friends, is described as playing and roaming in the forest—setting the scene immediately before subsequent events connected to the impending marriage.