Shloka 9
Sukanyā’s Encounter with the Aśvins and Cyavana’s Rejuvenation (लोमश–सुकन्या–च्यवनोपाख्यानम्)
कस्मादेवंविधा भूत्वा जराजर्जरितं पतिम् | त्वमुपास्से ह कल्याणि कामभोगबहिष्कृतम्,“कल्याणि! तुम ऐसी अनुपम सुन्दरी होकर कामभोगसे शून्य इस जरा-जर्जर बूढ़े पतिकी उपासना कैसे करती हो?
kasmād evaṃvidhā bhūtvā jarājarjaritaṃ patim | tvam upāsse ha kalyāṇi kāmabhogabahiṣkṛtam ||
Lomasa said: “O auspicious lady, how is it that you—so exceptionally beautiful—continue to serve and honor a husband worn down by old age, one who has been set aside from the enjoyments of desire and pleasure?”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry into dharma: why a woman of great beauty would choose steadfast service to an aged, pleasure-deprived husband. It sets up the ideal of fidelity and duty (pativratā-dharma) as grounded not in sensual gain but in ethical commitment and reverence.
Lomasa addresses a virtuous woman and questions her motivation: despite her attractiveness and the husband’s frailty and lack of sensual capacity, she continues to attend upon him. The question functions as a prompt for her to explain her vow, values, or the dharmic reasoning behind her conduct.