Shloka 743
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
विस्मिता साभवत् कन्या व्रीडिता च तपस्विनी । जिससे वहाँका सारा प्रदेश अन्धकारसे आच्छादित-सा हो गया। महर्षिद्वारा कुहरेकी सृष्टि देखकर वह तपस्विनी कन्या आश्वर्यचकित एवं लज्जित हो गयी
vismitā sābhavat kanyā vrīḍitā ca tapasvinī |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Gadis itu, seorang pertapa muda, menjadi terperanjat dan juga malu. Melihat sang resi mencipta kabus tebal yang seakan menyelubungi seluruh daerah hingga tampak gelap, dia berdiri terpaku—hairan dan tunduk dalam rasa segan; suatu peristiwa yang menonjolkan kuasa tapas serta beban etika tentang pengendalian diri dan kesopanan dalam pertemuan para pertapa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological response of a disciplined ascetic: even amid extraordinary displays of tapas (here, a mist that darkens the region), she maintains vrīḍā (modest restraint). It suggests that spiritual power should be met with humility and that decorum remains a dharmic value in charged encounters.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that a maiden ascetic becomes both astonished and bashful upon witnessing a great sage’s miraculous act—creating a fog that makes the area seem covered in darkness—indicating a sudden, awe-inspiring turn in the scene.