Shloka 14
Karṇa’s Counsel on Śrī
Fortune) and the Proposed Display before the Exiled Pāṇḍavas (कर्णवचनम् / श्रीप्रदर्शन-प्रस्तावः
पत्नीसरूपतां कृत्वा कामयामास पावकम् | दिव्यरूपमरुन्धत्या: कर्तु न शकितं तया,कुरुश्रेष्ठी उस देवीने सातों महात्मा सप्तर्षियोंकी पत्नियोंके समान रूप धारण करके अग्निदेवके साथ समागमकी इच्छा की थी; किंतु अरुन्धतीकी तपस्या तथा पति-शुश्रूषाके प्रभावसे वह उनका दिव्य रूप धारण न कर सकी, इसलिये छ: बार ही अग्निके वीर्यको वहाँ डालनेमें सफल हुई
patnīsarūpatāṁ kṛtvā kāmayāmāsa pāvakam | divyarūpam aruṇdhatyāḥ kartuṁ na śakitaṁ tayā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Assuming the forms of the sages’ wives, she longed to unite with Agni. Yet she could not take on the divine form of Arundhatī, for Arundhatī’s tapas and devoted service to her husband made that form unattainable. Therefore she succeeded only six times in receiving and depositing Agni’s seed there—Arundhatī alone remaining beyond imitation through the power of her dharma.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that genuine virtue—especially Arundhatī’s tapas and steadfast devotion to dharma—creates a spiritual power that cannot be replicated by mere external imitation. Ethical strength rooted in disciplined conduct becomes a protective force.
A woman attempts to approach Agni by taking on the forms of the wives of the Seven Sages. She can imitate six of them, but she cannot assume Arundhatī’s divine form because Arundhatī’s austerity and devoted service to her husband make her spiritually inimitable; thus the attempt succeeds only six times.