Shloka 9
दमयन्ती-शपथः वायोः साक्ष्यं च
Damayantī’s Oath and Vāyu’s Testimony
हस्वमासाद्य संचारं नासौ विनमते क्वचित् | तं तु दृष्टया यथा5संगमुत्सपति यथासुखम्,किसी छोटे-से-छोटे दरवाजेपर जाकर भी वह झुकता नहीं है। उसे देखकर बड़ी आसानीके साथ दरवाजा ही इस प्रकार ऊँचा हो जाता है कि जिससे मस्तकका उससे स्पर्श नहो
hrasvam āsādya sañcāraṁ nāsau vinamate kvacit | taṁ tu dṛṣṭvā yathā-saṅgam utsarpati yathā-sukham |
ブリハダシュヴァは言った。「どれほど背の低い戸口の通路に至っても、彼はどこでも身をかがめない。ところが彼を見た途端、戸口そのものが必要なだけすっと高くなり、頭が触れぬようになる。この出来事は、驕りが頭を垂れることを拒み、世の方が奇妙にもそれに合わせてしまうさまを示し、傲慢の道徳的危うさと、それが生む不自然な歪みをほのめかしている。」
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical contrast between humility and pride: refusing to bow is portrayed as a stubborn arrogance, and the miraculous ‘rising doorway’ suggests how the world can become distorted to accommodate ego—an implicit warning that dharma favors modesty and self-restraint.
Bṛhadaśva describes a figure who never stoops even at a low entrance; instead, the doorway itself lifts up on seeing him, preventing any contact with his head—an illustrative marvel used to characterize the person’s unbending nature.