Shloka 40
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī
श्रीसमृद्धं तदा दृष्टवा नारदं देवरूपिणम् | सुकुमारी प्रदुद्राव परपत्यभिशड्कया
śrīsamṛddhaṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā nāradaṃ devarūpiṇam | sukumārī pradudrāva parapathyabhiśaṅkayā |
Seeing Nārada then—radiant and splendid like a god—Sukumārī fled at once, seized by the suspicion that he might be another woman’s husband. The episode shows how fear of violating marital propriety and social dharma can drive immediate, instinctive action, even before a revered sage whose appearance is dazzling and otherworldly.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights sensitivity to dharma in matters of marital propriety: even the suspicion of an ethically improper situation (approaching another’s husband) can prompt avoidance, reflecting the social-ethical vigilance expected in conduct.
Nārada appears in a brilliant, godlike form. On seeing him, Sukumārī immediately runs away, fearing that association with him could be construed as involvement with another woman’s husband.