Shloka 13
Pātāla-varṇana (Nārada’s Description of the Netherworld) / पातालवर्णनम्
ज्योत्स्नाकालीति यामाहुर्द्धितीयां रूपत: श्रियम् । अदित्याश्वैव य: पुत्रो ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठ: कृत: स्मृत:
jyotsnākālīti yām āhur dvitīyāṁ rūpataḥ śriyam | adityāśvaiva yaḥ putro jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ kṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Yang disebut orang Jyotsnākālī adalah putri kedua Soma; dalam kecantikan ia tampak laksana Śrī (Lakṣmī) sendiri. Ia memilih dan mengakui sebagai suami terbaik putra sulung Aditi—Sūrya, yang termasyhur sebagai yang utama.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the traditional ideal of recognizing excellence and auspiciousness (śrī) in rightful alliances: a woman of radiant beauty is paired with the foremost divine figure, reflecting a worldview where social and cosmic order are mirrored through appropriate, merit-aligned relationships.
Kaṇva is describing a lineage detail: he identifies the second daughter named Jyotsnākālī, praises her beauty as Lakṣmī-like, and states that she has taken as her husband Sūrya, the eldest son of the goddess Aditi, renowned as the foremost.