Shloka 20
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
राजन! उस नदीके गर्भसे राजाके द्वारा एक कमललोचना कन्या उत्पन्न हुई जो नामसे तो सुदर्शना थी ही, रूपसे भी सुदर्शना (सुन्दर एवं दर्शनीय) थी ।।
rājan! us nadīke garbhase rājake dvārā eka kamalalocanā kanyā utpannā huī yā nāmato 'pi sudarśanā āsīt, rūpato 'pi sudarśanā (sundarī ca darśanīyā) āsīt. tādṛg-rūpā na nārīṣu bhūtapūrvā yudhiṣṭhira. duryodhana-sutā yādṛg abhavad varavarṇinī.
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, du sein de ce fleuve — par l’entremise du roi — naquit une jeune fille aux yeux de lotus. De nom, elle était Sudarśanā, et d’apparence aussi elle était vraiment “bien vue” : belle et digne d’être contemplée. Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, parmi les femmes, on n’avait jamais vu pareille beauté auparavant. Telle était la fille de Duryodhana, au teint clair, d’une grâce incomparable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves a narrative-ethical function: it frames extraordinary beauty as a noteworthy sign within royal and social discourse, while reminding the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira) that such exceptional qualities are rare and often tied to questions of lineage, destiny, and the responsibilities that follow.
Bhīṣma describes the birth of a lotus-eyed maiden named Sudarśanā, said to have arisen from a river’s womb through a king’s agency, and emphasizes that no woman of such beauty had been seen before; he identifies her as Duryodhana’s fair-complexioned daughter.