Shloka 11
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
“यद्यपि मैं चाहती नहीं थी
yadyapi māṃ naiccham, tathāpi tejasā mām abalāṃ tiraskṛtya naukāyām eva māṃ sva-vaśe cakāra. tadā sa munir ghanaṃ (kuharam) utpādya sarvaṃ lokaṃ tamasāvṛtaṃ cakāra. bhārata! pūrvaṃ mama śarīrāt matsyavat paramā jugupsitā mahā-tīvrā durgandhir āgacchati sma; tāṃ apanīya muninā mahyaṃ eṣā uttamā gandhaḥ pradattā.
“Walaupun aku tidak merelakannya, dia menundukkanku—seorang perempuan tanpa pelindung—dengan kekuatan tapa dan menempatkanku di bawah kuasanya di atas perahu itu juga. Pada saat itu sang resi menimbulkan kabut tebal dan menyelubungi seluruh kawasan dengan kegelapan. Wahai keturunan Bharata, dahulu tubuhku mengeluarkan bau hanyir ikan yang amat menjijikkan dan sangat kuat; sang resi menghapuskannya lalu menganugerahkan kepadaku keharuman yang unggul ini.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how extraordinary power (tejas) can be used to override another’s will, raising ethical tension within the epic. It also shows how later social legitimacy and lineage narratives are intertwined with secrecy and transformation, prompting reflection on dharma when power imbalances are present.
Satyavatī recounts that the sage used his ascetic power to take control of her on a boat, concealing the act by creating fog and darkness. He then removes her former fish-like stench and grants her a pleasing fragrance, explaining her epithet and the concealment of the encounter.