Shloka 21
निरानन्दकरी तेषां बन्धूनां मुक्तमूर्थजा । व्यसुरप्रेक्षणीया सा प्रेक्षणीयतमाभवत्,उस सर्पके डँस लेनेपर वह सहसा पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ी। उसके शरीरका रंग उड़ गया, शोभा नष्ट हो गयी, आभूषण इधर-उधर बिखर गये और चेतना लुप्त हो गयी। उसके बाल खुले हुए थे। अब वह अपने उन बन्धुजनोंके हृदयमें विषाद उत्पन्न कर रही थी। जो कुछ ही क्षण पहले अत्यन्त सुन्दरी एवं दर्शनीय थी, वही प्राणशून्य होनेके कारण अब देखनेयोग्य नहीं रह गयी
nirānandakarī teṣāṃ bandhūnāṃ muktamūrdhajā | vyasuraprekṣaṇīyā sā prekṣaṇīyatamābhavat ||
Śaunaka said: With her hair loosened, she became a source of grief to her kinsmen. Lifeless and no longer fit to be looked upon, she—who only moments before had been most beautiful and most worthy of seeing—was now transformed into a sight that brought sorrow. The passage underscores how swiftly life’s beauty and social joy can collapse into bereavement, reminding the listener of the fragility of embodied existence and the ethical weight of harm that causes such suffering to families.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence: beauty and vitality can vanish instantly, leaving grief for one’s family. Ethically, it points to the real human cost of harm—suffering is not isolated to the victim but spreads through kinship networks.
A woman who was moments earlier very beautiful is now lifeless, with loosened hair, and her condition becomes a sorrowful sight for her relatives. Śaunaka describes the emotional impact on the family and the stark change from living beauty to death.