Shloka 40

Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī

Devanagari script

श्रीसमृद्धं तदा दृष्टवा नारदं देवरूपिणम्‌ | सुकुमारी प्रदुद्राव परपत्यभिशड्कया,इस प्रकार बातचीत करके उन दोनों ऋषियोंने एक दूसरेके शापको निवृत्त कर दिया। तब नारदजीको देवताके समान तेजस्वी रूपमें देखकर सुकुमारी पराये पतिकी आशडूकासे भाग चली

Transliteration

śrīsamṛddhaṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā nāradaṃ devarūpiṇam | sukumārī pradudrāva parapathyabhiśaṅkayā |

Translation

Entonces, al ver a Nārada, resplandeciente y espléndido como un dios, Sukumārī huyó de inmediato, presa de la sospecha de que pudiera ser el esposo de otra mujer. El episodio muestra cómo el temor a quebrantar la rectitud conyugal y el dharma social puede impulsar una acción instantánea e instintiva, aun ante un sabio venerado cuya apariencia es deslumbrante y de otro mundo.

Word by Word

श्रीसमृद्धम्endowed with prosperity/splendor

तदाthen

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

नारदम्Narada

देवरूपिणम्having a divine form

सुकुमारीSukumari (a woman named Sukumari)

प्रदुद्रावran forth/ran away

परपत्यभिशङ्कयाout of fear/suspicion of (another's) husband

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Sukumārī

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights sensitivity to dharma in matters of marital propriety: even the suspicion of an ethically improper situation (approaching another’s husband) can prompt avoidance, reflecting the social-ethical vigilance expected in conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada appears in a brilliant, godlike form. On seeing him, Sukumārī immediately runs away, fearing that association with him could be construed as involvement with another woman’s husband.