Shloka 36
सेव्यमानो वरस्त्रीणां चन्द्रात् कान्ततरैर्मुखै: । मेखलानां निनादेन नूपुराणां च निः:स्वनै:
sevyamāno varastrīṇāṃ candrāt kāntatarair mukhaiḥ | mekhalānāṃ ninādena nūpurāṇāṃ ca niḥsvanaiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: He was being attended and honored by excellent women whose faces were more radiant than the moon, while the scene resounded with the jingling of their girdles and the clear chiming of their anklets—an image of celestial splendor that contrasts with the hard-won, morally weighty end of the earthly journey.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s moral arc: worldly struggle and ethical burden culminate in a realm where the fruits of conduct are experienced as honor and splendor. Yet the beauty is presented as an effect of karma and dharma rather than mere sensual indulgence.
In Svargārohaṇa, the narrative depicts a heavenly reception: the protagonist is attended by celestial women, and the auditory imagery of girdles and anklets conveys the atmosphere of svarga and the transition from human hardship to divine honor.