Shloka 2
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
साभ्यगच्छत मां देवि रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । प्रदक्षिणं लोभयन्ती मां शुभे रुचिरानना
sābhyagacchat māṃ devi rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi | pradakṣiṇaṃ lobhayantī māṃ śubhe rucirānanā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai dewi, dia mendekatiku—tiada bandingan kecantikannya di bumi. Gadis yang membawa tuah itu, berwajah elok lagi berseri, memikat hatiku, lalu datang untuk mengelilingiku (sebagai penghormatan dan juga memperlihatkan keelokannya).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between sensory allure and disciplined conduct: even when confronted with incomparable beauty, the dharmic ideal is steadiness and self-restraint, recognizing that outward charm can test one’s vows and judgment.
Bhishma narrates that an extraordinarily beautiful maiden approaches him and performs pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation), while simultaneously captivating him—setting the scene for a moral test involving attraction, propriety, and dharma.