Shloka 12
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
सुप्रभां नाम वै नाम्ना रूपेणाप्रतिमां भुवि | गुणप्रभावशीलेन चारित्रेण च शोभनाम्,उस कन्याका नाम था सुप्रभा। इस पृथ्वीपर उसके रूपकी कहीं तुलना नहीं थी। गुण, प्रभाव, शील और चरित्र सभी दृष्टियोंसे वह परम सुन्दर थी
suprabhāṃ nāma vai nāmnā rūpeṇāpratimāṃ bhuvi | guṇa-prabhāva-śīlena cāritreṇa ca śobhanām |
Bhishma said: “There was a maiden named Suprabhā. In beauty she was without equal on this earth; and by her virtues—her influence, her good disposition, and her conduct—she was radiant and admirable.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True excellence is not merely physical beauty; it is completed and made worthy by guṇa (virtue), prabhāva (uplifting influence), śīla (good disposition), and cāritra (ethical conduct). The verse frames moral character as the deeper source of ‘radiance’.
Bhīṣma introduces a woman named Suprabhā within his discourse, describing her as unmatched in beauty and equally distinguished in virtues and conduct—setting her up as an exemplary figure for the ensuing account or moral illustration.