Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 13
Pātāla-varṇana (Nārada’s Description of the Netherworld) / पातालवर्णनम्
ज्योत्स्नाकालीति यामाहुर्द्धितीयां रूपत: श्रियम् । अदित्याश्वैव य: पुत्रो ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठ: कृत: स्मृत:
jyotsnākālīti yām āhur dvitīyāṁ rūpataḥ śriyam | adityāśvaiva yaḥ putro jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ kṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Kaṇva sprach: „Die, welche man Jyotsnākālī nennt, ist die zweite Tochter, und an Schönheit gleicht sie Śrī (Lakṣmī) selbst. Sie hat Sūrya, den erstgeborenen Sohn Aditis, berühmt als der Vornehmste unter den Göttern, zum vortrefflichsten Gemahl erwählt und anerkannt.“
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the traditional ideal of recognizing excellence and auspiciousness (śrī) in rightful alliances: a woman of radiant beauty is paired with the foremost divine figure, reflecting a worldview where social and cosmic order are mirrored through appropriate, merit-aligned relationships.
Kaṇva is describing a lineage detail: he identifies the second daughter named Jyotsnākālī, praises her beauty as Lakṣmī-like, and states that she has taken as her husband Sūrya, the eldest son of the goddess Aditi, renowned as the foremost.