Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 8
Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly
चतुर्भुजे चतुर्वक्त्रे पीनश्रोणिपयोधरे । मयूरपिच्छवलये केयूराजड़रदधारिणि । भासि देवि यथा पद्मा नारायणपरिग्रह:
caturbhuje caturvaktre pīnaśroṇipayodhare | mayūrapicchavalaye keyūrājaṭaraddhāriṇi | bhāsi devi yathā padmā nārāyaṇaparigrahaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O goddess, four-armed and four-faced, with full hips and breasts; adorned with a circlet of peacock-feathers, wearing armlets and bearing matted locks— you shine like a lotus, embraced by Nārāyaṇa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a devotional-stylistic praise: it highlights divine splendor and auspicious association with Nārāyaṇa, implying that true radiance and prosperity (Padmā/Śrī) are grounded in dharmic, divine alignment rather than mere external beauty.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a description of a goddess-like figure, detailing her iconographic features (four arms, four faces, ornaments, matted locks) and comparing her radiance to Padmā (Śrī/Lakṣmī), explicitly linking her to Nārāyaṇa as his embraced/associated consort.