Shloka 63

पुष्पकविमानवर्णनम्

Description of the Pushpaka Vimana and Ravana’s Inner Palace

Devanagari script

अन्योन्यभुजसूत्रेण स्त्रीमाला ग्रथिता हि सा।मालेव ग्रथिता सूत्रे शुशुभे मत्तषट्पदा।।5.9.63।।

Transliteration

anyonyabhujasūtreṇa strīmālā grathitā hi sā |

mālevā grathitā sūtre śuśubhe mattaṣaṭpadā || 5.9.63 ||

Translation

互いの腕が糸となって女たちは一つの花鬘のように連なり、糸に通した花の首飾りのごとく美しく輝いた。そこには酔った蜂が群がるかのようであった。

Word by Word

अन्योन्यभुजसूत्रेणby the thread of one another’s arms

स्त्रीमालाa garland of women

ग्रथिताwas strung/knit

हिindeed

साthat (she/it)

मालाgarland

इवlike

ग्रथिताstrung

सूत्रेon a thread

शुशुभेshone

मत्तषट्पदा(a garland) with drunken bees

Context

Knit with the shoulders of one another like a garland of flowers intertwined with the tipsy bees resting the women shone.

Characters & Entities

Hanumān (implicit observer)

women of Rāvaṇa’s palace

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The poetic beauty does not endorse the lifestyle; it frames the allure of adharma as aesthetically captivating yet spiritually disorienting—dharma calls for discernment beyond appearances.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān sees the women clustered together, and the narrator uses a garland-and-bees simile to portray their interlinked sleep.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Discernment (viveka): the ability to see through attractive imagery and remain committed to a righteous objective.