Shloka 19
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
तस्यां जज्ञे तदा नद्यां कन्या राजीवलोचना । नाम्ना सुदर्शना राजन् रूपेण च सुदर्शना
tasyāṃ jajñe tadā nadyāṃ kanyā rājīvalocanā | nāmnā sudarśanā rājan rūpeṇa ca sudarśanā ||
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું— હે રાજન! તે નદીમાં તે સમયે કમળલોચના એક કન્યા જન્મી. નામે તે સુદર્શન હતી અને રૂપે પણ સાચે જ ‘સુદર્શન’—સુંદર અને દર્શનીય—હતી.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights auspicious birth and the alignment of name and nature: ‘Sudarśanā’ is not only her given name but also a statement about her evident beauty and auspicious presence, reflecting a cultural-ethical idea that qualities can be read as signs of merit and destiny within dharmic narrative.
Bhīṣma narrates that a lotus-eyed girl is born in a river and is introduced by name as Sudarśanā; the repetition emphasizes both her identity and her striking beauty, setting up her significance for the ensuing story.