Shloka 4
Kīcaka-vadha-pratisaṃjñā: Rumor in Matsya and the Kaurava Scouts’ Report (कीचकवध-प्रतिसंज्ञा)
यथारूपा च सैरन्ध्री गन्धर्वाश्न महाबला: । पुंसामिष्टश्ष विषयो मैथुनाय न संशय:
yathārūpā ca sairandhrī gandharvāś ca mahābalāḥ | puṁsām iṣṭaś ca viṣayo maithunāya na saṁśayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Sairandhrī besitzt wahrlich eine außergewöhnliche Schönheit, wie allgemein bekannt ist. Auch ihre Gandharva‑Gatten sind überaus mächtig. Und für Männer ist der Genuss der Sinnesobjekte — zumal in Hinblick auf geschlechtliche Vereinigung — von Natur aus begehrt; daran besteht kein Zweifel.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological fact: sensual desire, especially sexual desire, commonly arises in men; therefore ethical restraint and respect for boundaries are crucial, particularly when confronted with beauty and perceived vulnerability.
Vaiśampāyana describes the Sairandhrī’s renowned beauty and notes that her (claimed) Gandharva husbands are very powerful, while also remarking on men’s inclination toward sexual enjoyment—setting the context for the danger of improper advances and the consequences that follow in the Virāṭa court episode.