Shloka 7
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
चिह्नभूतो विभूत्यर्थमयं धात्रा विनिर्मित: । प्रतिपत्कलुषस्येन्दोलेंखा नातिविराजते,विधाताके द्वारा निर्मित यह चिह्न इसके भावी ऐश्वर्यका सूचक है। इस समय यह प्रतिपदाकी मलिन चन्द्रकलाके समान अधिक शोभा नहीं पा रही है। इसका सुवर्ण-जैसा सुन्दर शरीर मैलसे व्याप्त और संस्कारशून्य (मार्जन आदिसे रहित) होनेपर भी स्पष्ट रूपसे उद्धासित हो रहा है। इसका रूप-सौन्दर्य नष्ट नहीं हुआ है। जैसे छिपी हुई आग अपनी गरमीसे पहचान ली जाती है, उसी प्रकार यद्यपि देवी दमयन्ती मलिन शरीरसे युक्त है तो भी इस ललाटवर्ती तिलके चिह्नसे ही मैंने इसे पहचान लिया है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
cihnabhūto vibhūtyartham ayaṃ dhātrā vinirmitaḥ |
pratipat-kaluṣasyendolekhā nātivirājate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “This mark has been fashioned by the Creator as a sign pointing toward future prosperity. Yet at present it does not shine greatly—like the faint, blemished crescent of the moon on the first lunar day. Still, even when the body is soiled and devoid of adornment, an innate radiance can remain evident; beauty is not truly destroyed. Just as hidden fire is recognized by its heat, so too, though Damayantī is covered in grime, I recognized her by this forehead-mark.”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True identity and worth are not erased by external hardship. A divinely-ordained sign (cihna) and an inner radiance can persist even when outward appearance is degraded, urging discernment and compassion rather than judgment by surface conditions.
In the Nala–Damayantī episode within Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira describes how a distinctive mark—understood as providential—allows recognition despite Damayantī’s soiled, unadorned condition, comparing its faint present luster to the dim crescent on the first lunar day.