Shloka 18
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
उवाच राजंस्तां देवीं तस्या रूपगुणान् वदन् | एषा गौरुत्तमा देवी वारुणेरसितेक्षणा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | uvāca rājan tāṃ devīṃ tasyā rūpa-guṇān vadan | eṣā gaur uttamā devī vāruṇer asitekṣaṇā |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「王よ、彼はその姿の美と徳を語りつつ、あの天の貴婦人に言った。『これは最上の牝牛である、女神よ――黒き眼の方よ――ヴァルナの裔に生まれたものだ。』」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary, sacred beings or possessions (here, a divine cow) should be approached with reverence and restraint; admiration can become a prelude to unethical appropriation, so dharma requires honoring what is holy and not treating it as mere utility.
The speaker (a male figure in the episode) addresses a divine lady and, while describing her qualities, points out an excellent cow associated with Varuṇa, praising its exceptional nature—setting up the later narrative about the cow’s significance and the moral stakes around it.