Shloka 1.10.29

ऋश्यशृङ्ग-आनयनम् (Bringing Ṛśyaśṛṅga to Aṅga and His Marriage to Śāntā)

Devanagari script

वर्षेणैवागतं विप्रं विषयं स्वं नराधिप:।प्रत्युद्गम्य मुनिं प्रह्वश्शिरसा च महीं गत:।।।।

Transliteration

gaṇikās tatra gacchantu rūpavatyas svalañkṛtāḥ |

pralobhya vividhopāyair āneṣyantīha satkṛtāḥ ||

Translation

“Let beautiful, well-adorned courtesans go there; by various enticements they will lure him and, treated with honour, bring him here.”

Context

The king (Romapada) went out to welcome the ascetic, the brahmin who brought along with him rains to his country. He humbly bowed down his head and prostrated before him.

Characters & Entities

• Romapāda
• Ṛśyaśṛṅga
• courtesans (gaṇikāḥ)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

It raises the dharmic question of whether welfare goals justify ethically risky methods—contrasting public duty with personal integrity and non-deception.

What is the narrative situation?

The ministers specify the operational plan: send courtesans to entice Ṛśyaśṛṅga out of the forest.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Not a virtue so much as political expediency; the verse foregrounds calculated persuasion rather than straightforwardness (satya).