Shloka 14
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
नेत्रे सुविपुले सुभ्रु पच्मपत्रनिभे शुभे | वाक्यं ते चारुसर्वाज्»ि परपुष्टररुतोपमम्
netre suvipule subhru pakṣmapatra-nibhe śubhe | vākyaṁ te cāru sarvāṅgi para-puṣṭa-rutopamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O fair-browed lady, O beautiful one of lovely limbs! Your eyes are exceedingly large and auspicious, resembling lotus petals. And your speech—so sweet—is like the well-nourished, melodious call of the cuckoo.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how flattering, aesthetic praise can be used as a tool of seduction and coercion; in the wider episode it highlights the ethical contrast between outwardly ‘sweet’ speech and inward adharma when desire disregards a woman’s autonomy and dignity.
In the Kīcaka–Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) exchange of the Virāṭa court, Kīcaka addresses Draupadī with ornate compliments about her eyes and voice, initiating an attempt to entice and pressure her—setting the stage for the conflict that culminates in Kīcaka’s death.