Shloka 17
Damayantī’s Proposal of a Witnessed Choice; Nala Reports to the Lokapālas
Adhyāya 53
तयोरदृष्ट: कामो< भूच्छृण्वतो: सतत॑ गुणान् | अन्योन्यं प्रति कौन्तेय स व्यवर्धत हृच्छय:,कुन्तीनन्दन! इस प्रकार निरन्तर एक-दूसरेके गुणोंको सुनते-सुनते उन दोनोंमें बिना देखे ही परस्पर काम (अनुराग) उत्पन्न हो गया। उनकी वह कामना दिन-दिन बढ़ती ही चली गयी
tayor adṛṣṭaḥ kāmo 'bhūc chṛṇvatoḥ satataṁ guṇān | anyonyaṁ prati kaunteya sa vyavardhata hṛcchayaḥ ||
O son of Kuntī, as the two of them continually listened to accounts of each other’s virtues, love arose between them even without seeing one another. That heart-born longing then kept growing steadily, day by day, as their mutual admiration deepened into attachment.
बृहृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sustained attention to another’s virtues can generate powerful attachment even without direct contact. Ethically, it suggests that reputation and repeated hearing shape the mind and emotions; therefore one should be mindful of what one repeatedly listens to and how admiration can mature into desire.
Bṛhadaśva tells Yudhiṣṭhira that two people, though not yet seeing each other, keep hearing about one another’s good qualities. Through this continual exchange of praise, mutual love arises and then steadily intensifies.