Shloka 31
Pātivratya-kathana
The Narrative of the Pativrata
सुकुमारोऽपि तन्वंगीं पीनोरुजघनस्तनीम् । मेने वर्षायुतसमामात्मानं च त्रिवत्सरम् ॥ ३१ ॥
sukumāro'pi tanvaṃgīṃ pīnorujaghanastanīm | mene varṣāyutasamāmātmānaṃ ca trivatsaram || 31 ||
ತಾನು ಸೂಕುಮಾರನಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಅಂಗಗಳಾದರೂ ಪೀನ ಊರು-ಜಘನ-ಸ್ತನಗಳಿರುವ ಆ ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯನ್ನು ಅವನು ಹತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷದವಳಂತೆ ಭಾವಿಸಿದನು; ತನ್ನನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರ ಮೂರು ವರ್ಷದವನೆಂದು ಎಣಿಸಿದನು.
Narrator (within the Narada Purana’s Uttara-bhaga narration)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shringara","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"Sensuous description of feminine beauty is paired with a surprising inversion of age-perception, creating wonder tinged with erotic fascination."}
FAQs
It highlights how desire distorts perception: even a youthful person can project exaggerated maturity onto an attractive object, revealing the mind’s delusion (moha) and the need for self-mastery.
By showing the mind’s tendency to be captivated by sensual appearance, the verse implicitly points to bhakti—steady remembrance of Bhagavan—as a purifying counter-force that redirects attention from sense-objects to the divine.
Vyākaraṇa/semantic precision is relevant: compounds like pīnorujaghanastanīm compress descriptive meaning, showing how Sanskrit structure conveys psychological emphasis; the practical takeaway is careful reading of compounds to grasp narrative intent.