Shloka 34

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

शारदोत्पलपत्राक्ष्या शारदोत्पलगन्धया । शारदोत्पलसेविन्या रूपेण श्रीसमानया

Transliteration

śāradotpalapatrākṣyā śāradotpalagandhayā | śāradotpalasevinyā rūpeṇa śrīsamanayā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sagte: „Ihre Augen sind schön und weit wie die Blätter eines Lotus in der Herbstzeit. Von ihrem Leib geht ein Duft aus wie der der Herbstlotusse. Sie erfreut sich an den Lotusblüten des Herbstes, und an Schönheit ist sie Śrī (Lakṣmī) selbst vergleichbar.“

Word by Word

• शारदोत्पलपत्राक्ष्या: by/with (her) eyes like the petals of autumn lotuses
• शारदोत्पलपत्राक्ष्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शारद-उत्पल-पत्र-अक्षि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• शारदोत्पलगन्धया: with the fragrance of autumn lotuses
• शारदोत्पलगन्धया: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शारद-उत्पल-गन्ध
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• शारदोत्पलसेविन्या: by/with (her being) one who resorts to/uses autumn lotuses
• शारदोत्पलसेविन्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शारद-उत्पल-सेविन्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• रूपेण: by/with beauty; in appearance
• रूपेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• श्रीसमानया: equal to Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• श्रीसमानया: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्री-समान
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śāradotpala (autumn lotus)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses refined poetic imagery to portray captivating beauty, implicitly warning how sensory allure can influence judgment in royal and ethical contexts—an undercurrent in the Sabha narrative where desire and fascination can cloud dharmic discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is describing a woman’s extraordinary beauty through autumn-lotus similes—eyes like lotus petals, lotus-like fragrance, delight in lotuses, and a form comparable to Lakṣmī—within the broader Sabha Parva setting of courtly speech and consequential choices.