Shloka 35
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
विधिना वेददृष्टेन वसोर्धारामिवाध्वरे । अग्निने वेदोक्त विधिसे राजकन्या सुदर्शनाको उसी प्रकार ग्रहण किया, जैसे वे यज्ञमें वसुधारा ग्रहण करते हैं ।। ३४ $ ।। तस्या रूपेण शीलेन कुलेन वपुषा श्रिया
vidhinā vedadṛṣṭena vasordhārām ivādhvare | agnine vedokta-vidhinā sa rāja-kanyāṁ sudarśanām auṣī tathā grahaṇam akarot || tasyā rūpeṇa śīlena kulena vapuṣā śriyā ||
Bhīṣma dit : Suivant le rite prescrit par les Veda, Agni reçut la princesse Sudarśanā selon l’ordonnance védique—comme, dans un sacrifice, on reçoit dûment l’oblation appelée vasordhārā. Sa beauté, sa conduite, sa noble lignée, la grâce de son corps et sa prospérité étaient toutes exemplaires.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as adherence to Veda-sanctioned procedure: socially and ethically valid marriage is portrayed as a sacred act performed with proper ritual order, paralleling the correct taking of an oblation in sacrifice.
Bhishma describes a princess, Sudarshanā, being accepted in marriage through the Vedic rite, likening the act to ritually receiving the vasordhārā offering in a yajña; he then begins to praise her qualities—beauty, character, lineage, and prosperity.