Shloka 2

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 98 — Paraśurāma’s kṣatriya suppression; Dīrghatamas, Bali, Sudēṣṇā, and the birth of Aṅga

Devanagari script

तस्य रूपगुणोपेता गड्जा स्त्रीरूपधारिणी | उत्तीर्य सलिलात्‌ तस्माललोभनीयतमाकृति:,उस समय मनस्विनी गंगा सुन्दर रूप और उत्तम गुणोंसे युक्त युवती स्त्रीका रूप धारण करके जलसे निकलीं और स्वाध्यायमें लगे हुए राजर्षि प्रतीपके शाल-जैसे विशाल दाहिने ऊरु (जाँघ)-पर जा बैठीं। उस समय उनकी आकृति बड़ी लुभावनी थी; रूप देवांगनाओंके समान था और मुख अत्यन्त मनोहर था

Transliteration

tasya rūpaguṇopetā gaṅgā strīrūpadhāriṇī | uttīrya salilāt tasmāl alobhanīyatamākṛtiḥ ||

Translation

Entonces la diosa del río, Gaṅgā, dotada de hermosura y nobles cualidades, asumió la forma de una joven. Al surgir de las aguas, apareció con un porte sumamente cautivador y se acercó al rey-ṛṣi Pratīpa.

Word by Word

तस्यof him/that

रूपगुणोपेताendowed with beauty and virtues

गङ्गाGanga

स्त्रीरूपधारिणीassuming a woman's form

उत्तीर्यhaving come out / having crossed up

सलिलात्from the water

तस्मात्from there/from that

अलोभनीयतमाmost charming / most enticing

आकृतिःform, appearance

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Gaṅgā

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical demand of self-control: even when confronted with extraordinary beauty and attraction, a dharmic person is expected to respond with restraint, discernment, and propriety—especially in contexts involving the sacred or unknown.

What is happening in the narrative?

Gaṅgā, personified as a goddess, emerges from the water in the form of a captivating young woman. This moment introduces her direct encounter with the king-sage Pratīpa, which will lead into the lineage narrative connected with the Kuru dynasty.