Shloka 27
दमयन्त्याः कार्यनिश्चयः — Damayantī’s Crisis Plan and Vārṣṇeya’s Departure
विलज्जमाना वस्त्रान्तं जग्राहायतलोचना । स्कन्ध देशेडसृजत् तस्य स्रजं परमशो भनाम्
vilajjamānā vastrāntaṁ jagrāhāyatalocanā | skandha-deśe 'sṛjat tasya srajaṁ paramaśobhanām ||
Bṛhadaśva sprach: In schamhafter Zurückhaltung ergriff die lotosäugige Jungfrau den Saum ihres Gewandes. Dann legte sie ihm auf die Schulter einen Kranz von unvergleichlicher Schönheit—ein stilles Zeichen der Annahme, ganz im Rahmen des Anstands.
बृहदश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights social-ethical restraint (lajjā) and decorum: inner feeling is expressed through culturally appropriate, non-verbal action. Modesty is not mere inhibition but a dharmic boundary that shapes how affection or acceptance is communicated.
A lotus-eyed woman, feeling shy, holds the edge of her garment and then places a splendid garland on a man’s shoulder—an emblematic gesture of favor/acceptance within the scene being narrated by Bṛhadaśva.