Shloka 12
Parṇāda’s Report; Bāhuka’s Counsel; Damayantī’s Strategic Svayaṃvara Message (अध्याय ६८)
चारुपग्रविशालाक्षीं मन्मथस्य रतीमिव । इष्टों समस्तलोकस्य पूर्णचन्द्रप्रभामिव,उसके बड़े-बड़े नेत्र मनोहर कमलोंकी शोभाको लज्जित कर रहे हैं। यह कामदेवकी रति-सी जान पड़ती है। पूर्णिमाके चन्द्रमाकी चाँदनीके समान यह सब लोगोंके लिये प्रिय है
cārūpagraviśālākṣīṁ manmathasya ratīm iva | iṣṭāṁ samastalokasya pūrṇacandraprabhām iva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “She is lovely in form, with broad, beautiful eyes—like Rati, the beloved of Manmatha. Dear to all people, she shines like the radiance of the full moon.”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models how powerful attraction and admiration are expressed through poetic similes, yet within the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame such emotions are to be recognized and governed by dharma—beauty and popularity do not by themselves justify improper action.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a woman’s exceptional beauty and universal appeal, comparing her to Rati (Kāma’s beloved) and to the radiance of the full moon, emphasizing both her allure and her auspicious, widely pleasing presence.