Shloka 21
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
कुड्मलाम्बुरुहाकारी तव सुभ्रु पयोधरी । कामप्रतोदाविव मां तुदतश्चारुहासिनि,“सुन्दर भौंहों तथा मनोरम मुसकानवाली सुन्दरी! कमलकोशके समान आकारवाले तुम्हारे दोनों उरोज कामदेवके चाबुककी भाँति मुझे पीड़ा दे रहे हैं
kuḍmalāmburuhākārī tava subhru payodharī | kāmapratodāv iva māṃ tudataś cāruhāsini ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô dame aux beaux sourcils, au sourire charmant ! Tes seins, semblables à des boutons de lotus encore clos, me tourmentent, me perçant comme les aiguillons de Kāma.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the power of sensual attraction and the inner agitation it can produce. In the broader Mahābhārata ethical frame, such imagery often functions as a reminder that desire can disturb discernment and that restraint (dama) and steadiness of mind are necessary for dharma.
The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) reports a speech addressed to a woman described as fair-browed and smiling. The speaker uses poetic comparisons—lotus-buds and Kāma’s goad—to express being intensely afflicted by erotic desire.