Shloka 2
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
साभ्यगच्छत मां देवि रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । प्रदक्षिणं लोभयन्ती मां शुभे रुचिरानना
sābhyagacchat māṃ devi rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi | pradakṣiṇaṃ lobhayantī māṃ śubhe rucirānanā ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô déesse, elle s’approcha de moi—sans égale en beauté sur la terre. Cette jeune fille de bon augure, au visage ravissant, séduisant mon esprit, vint tourner autour de moi (en signe de respect et pour déployer sa grâce).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between sensory allure and disciplined conduct: even when confronted with incomparable beauty, the dharmic ideal is steadiness and self-restraint, recognizing that outward charm can test one’s vows and judgment.
Bhishma narrates that an extraordinarily beautiful maiden approaches him and performs pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation), while simultaneously captivating him—setting the scene for a moral test involving attraction, propriety, and dharma.