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 ||
Nārada sprach: „Wie Lakṣmī im Hause Viṣṇus erstrahlt und wie Svāhā im Bereich Agnis geehrt wird, so möge auch die schöne Guṇakeśī, schlank an der Taille, in deinem Geschlecht fest begründet und hoch geachtet sein.“
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.