Shloka 8
और्वकृत-क्रोधाग्नि-निग्रहः
Aurva’s Containment of the Wrath-Fire
न देवी नासुरी चैव न यक्षी न च राक्षसी | नाप्सरा न च गन्धर्वी तथा रूपेण काचन,उस समय देवता, असुर, यक्ष एवं राक्षस जातिकी स्त्री, कोई अप्सरा तथा गधर्वपत्नी भी उसके समान रूपवती न थी
na devī nāsurī caiva na yakṣī na ca rākṣasī | nāpsarā na ca gandharvī tathā rūpeṇa kācan ||
The Gandharva said: “She was not a goddess, nor an Asura-woman; not a Yakṣī, nor a Rākṣasī. No Apsaras, and no Gandharva-wife possessed such beauty as she did.” In the narrative, this is a hyperbolic praise that elevates her exceptional form beyond all known classes of celestial and semi-celestial women, underscoring the power of beauty to captivate and to set events in motion.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary beauty can be portrayed as surpassing even celestial standards; ethically, it cautions that such fascination and idealization can strongly influence judgment and drive consequential actions in the epic’s unfolding events.
A Gandharva is describing a woman’s unmatched beauty, stating that no woman among goddesses, Asuras, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Apsarases, or Gandharva-wives equals her in form—an emphatic comparison meant to convey her exceptional allure.