Shloka 25
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
पुण्यगन्धान् पद्मपात्रे गन्धर्वाप्सरसो5दुहन् । वत्सश्रित्ररथस्तेषां दोग्धा विश्वरुचि: प्रभु:,गन्धर्वों और अप्सराओंने कमलके पात्रमें पवित्र गन्धको ही दूधके रूपमें दुहा। उनका बछड़ा चित्ररथ और दुहनेवाले गन्धर्वराज विश्वरुचि थे
puṇyagandhān padmapātre gandharvāpsaraso 'duhan | vatsas citrarathas teṣāṃ dogdhā viśvaruciḥ prabhuḥ ||
Nārada said: The Gandharvas and Apsarases milked forth sacred fragrance itself, collecting it in a lotus-cup. Their calf was Citraratha, and the milker was the lordly Gandharva-king Viśvaruci. The passage underscores a cosmic ethic: each class of beings draws from creation what accords with its own nature and duty, without transgressing the order that sustains the worlds.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the milking metaphor to show that different orders of beings obtain distinct 'essences' from creation according to their inherent nature and rightful sphere, reflecting dharma as harmony with cosmic order rather than mere rule-following.
Nārada describes a symbolic 'milking': Gandharvas and Apsarases draw out sacred fragrance as their nourishment, placing it in a lotus-cup; Citraratha functions as the calf that enables the flow, and Viśvaruci, their king, is the designated milker.