Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
अभवत् प्रीतिमानग्निर्गर्भे चास्या मनो दधे | सुदर्शनाके रूप, शील, कुल, शरीरकी आकृति और कान्तिको देखकर अग्निदेव बहुत प्रसन्न हुए और उन्होंने उसमें गर्भाधान करनेका विचार किया
abhavat prītimān agnir garbhe cāsyā mano dadhe |
ビーシュマは語った。火神アグニは歓喜に満ち、彼女の胎内に子を宿らせようと心を定めた。スダルシャナーの美貌、品性、高貴な家柄、整った肢体、そして輝く光彩を見て、火の神は大いに悦び、受胎を決意した——欲望と生殖を、血統・徳・正しい意図という倫理の大きな枠組みの中に置く一節である。
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights how attraction and intention (manaḥ) can lead to procreative resolve, while the surrounding dharma-discourse typically evaluates such impulses through the lenses of virtue (śīla), lineage (kula), and rightful conduct—suggesting that desire is ethically significant when it shapes actions affecting family and social order.
Bhīṣma narrates that Agni, delighted by Sudarśanā’s qualities and radiance, forms the intention to impregnate her—marking the moment when divine desire turns into a concrete resolve toward conception.