Shloka 9
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
अथापश्यत् कनन््यां परमरूपदर्शनीयां पुष्पाण्यवचिन्वन्तीं गायन्तीं च । अथ सा राज्ञ: समीपे पर्यक्रामत्,“इतनेहीमें उनकी दृष्टि एक कन्यापर पड़ी, जो अपने परम सुन्दर रूपके कारण देखने ही योग्य थी। वह वनके फूल चुनती हुई गीत गा रही थी। धीरे-धीरे भ्रमण करती हुई वह राजाके समीप आ गयी
athāpaśyat kanyāṃ paramarūpadarśanīyāṃ puṣpāṇy avacinvantīṃ gāyantīṃ ca | atha sā rājñaḥ samīpe paryakrāmat |
Entonces vio a una doncella de hermosura suprema, digna de ser contemplada. Iba recogiendo flores del bosque y cantando. Con paso suave, fue acercándose poco a poco al rey: un encuentro que prepara la prueba del deseo y del discernimiento frente al dominio de sí y al dharma real.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a morally charged moment: beauty and proximity can provoke desire, so the ethical focus shifts to how a king (or any person with power) responds—with restraint, discernment, and adherence to dharma rather than impulse.
The narrator describes a scene where the king notices a remarkably beautiful maiden in the forest. She is picking flowers and singing, and while wandering she comes close to the king, setting up the next development in the story.