Shloka 70

Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ

King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt

Devanagari script

तीर्थयात्रां परिक्रामन्नपश्यद्‌ वै पराशर: । अतीवरूपसम्पन्नां सिद्धानामपि काड्क्षिताम्‌

Transliteration

tīrthayātrāṃ parikrāmann apaśyad vai parāśaraḥ | atīvarūpasampannāṃ siddhānām api kāṅkṣitām ||

Translation

વૈશંપાયન બોલ્યા—તીર્થયાત્રા માટે સર્વત્ર ભ્રમણ કરતા મહર્ષિ પરાશરે એક અતિશય રૂપસૌંદર્યવાળી કન્યાને જોઈ—જેને મેળવવાની ઇચ્છા સિદ્ધોના હૃદયમાં પણ જાગી ઊઠે એવી મનોહર હતી.

Word by Word

• तीर्थयात्राम्: pilgrimage (journey to holy places)
• तीर्थयात्राम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थयात्रा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• परिक्रामन्: wandering about / going around
• परिक्रामन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-क्रम्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपश्यत्: saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• पराशरः: Parāśara (the sage)
• पराशरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराशर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अतीवरूपसम्पन्नाम्: endowed with exceedingly great beauty
• अतीवरूपसम्पन्नाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतीव-रूप-सम्पन्ना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सिद्धानाम्: of the Siddhas (perfected beings)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: even / also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• काङ्क्षिताम्: desired / longed for
• काङ्क्षिताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काङ्क्षित
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Parāśara
• Siddhas
• tīrtha (sacred places)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the potency of desire: even those associated with spiritual attainment (Siddhas) can be stirred by beauty. It prepares the ethical frame for examining self-control, responsibility, and the consequences of attraction within a dharmic narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sage Parāśara, traveling on pilgrimage, encounters a remarkably beautiful maiden (contextually Satyavatī/Matsyagandhā in the surrounding passage). Her beauty is described as so exceptional that it would awaken longing even in Siddhas, foreshadowing the ensuing encounter and its dynastic implications.