Shloka 5
Dyumatsena’s Restoration and Sāvitrī’s Disclosure of Yama’s Boons (आरण्यकपर्व, अध्याय २८२)
न कल्पवृक्षसदृशो यत्नादपि विभूषित: । श्मशानचैत्यद्रुमवद् भूषितो5पि भयंकर:,उसने बड़े यत्नसे अपने-आपको वस्त्राभूषणोंद्वारा सजा रखा था, तो भी कल्पवृक्षके समान आह्वादजनक नहीं जान पड़ता था; अपितु श्मशानभूमिके चैत्यवृक्षकी भाँति भूषित होनेपर भी भयानक प्रतीत होता था
na kalpavṛkṣasadṛśo yatnād api vibhūṣitaḥ | śmaśānacaityadrumavad bhūṣito 'pi bhayaṅkaraḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Though he had adorned himself with garments and ornaments with great effort, he did not appear pleasing like a wish-fulfilling tree. Rather, even when decorated, he looked terrifying—like a cemetery’s sacred memorial tree.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
External adornment cannot transform an inauspicious or frightening nature into something truly pleasing; ethical and inner qualities determine how one is perceived, not mere decoration.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a figure who has dressed up elaborately, yet instead of appearing delightful like the kalpavṛkṣa, he seems ominous—evoking the eerie sanctity of a cemetery’s memorial tree.