Shloka 15
Adhiratha-Rādhā Discover the Casket; Vasuṣeṇa (Karṇa) is Adopted and Formed
यो>प्यस्या हर्षसम्भूतो मुखरागस्तदाभवत् | क्षणेन स पुनर्नष्टो नि:श्वास इव दर्पणे,जैसे श्वास लेनेसे दर्पणमें पड़ा हुआ मुखका प्रतिबिम्ब मलिन हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार सीताके मुखपर उस समय जो हर्षजनित कान्ति छा रही थी, वह एक ही क्षणमें फिर विलीन हो गयी
yo 'py asyā harṣasambhūto mukharāgas tadābhavat | kṣaṇena sa punar naṣṭo niḥśvāsa iva darpaṇe ||
Even the flush of joy that had then arisen upon her face vanished again in a single moment—like the breath that briefly clouds a mirror and is gone at once.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Joy and its outward signs are fleeting; one should cultivate steadiness (dhairya) and not rely on momentary emotional uplift, especially amid adversity.
Markandeya describes how a brief, joy-born glow appeared on Sītā’s face but disappeared almost immediately, compared to how a mirror is momentarily clouded by breath and then clears.