Shloka 8
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
आत्मन: सदृशं सा तु भर्तारें नान्वपश्यत । राजन! उग्र तपस्या करते हुए उसका बहुत समय व्यतीत हो गया। पिताने अपने जीवनकालमें उसका किसीके साथ ब्याह कर देनेका प्रयत्न किया; परंतु उस अनिन््द्य सुन्दरीने विवाहकी इच्छा नहीं की। उसे अपने योग्य कोई वर ही नहीं दिखायी देता था ।। ७ न! ततः सा तपसोग्रेण पीडयित्वा55त्मनस्तनुम्
ātmanaḥ sadṛśaṃ sā tu bhartāraṃ nānvapaśyata | rājan, ugra-tapasyāṃ kurvatyāḥ tasyā bahu kālo vyatītaḥ | pitā tu jīvan-kāle tasyāḥ kasyacid saha vivāhaṃ kārayituṃ prayatnam akarot; parantu sā anindya-sundarī vivāhecchāṃ na cakāra | tasyai svayogyo vara eva na dṛśyate sma | tataḥ sā tapaso greṇa pīḍayitvā ātmanas tanum ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Dia tidak menemui suami yang setara dengan dirinya. Wahai raja, ketika dia menjalani tapa yang keras, masa yang panjang pun berlalu. Sepanjang hayat ayahnya, baginda berusaha mengatur perkahwinannya dengan seseorang; namun jelita yang tidak bercela itu tidak berhasrat untuk berkahwin. Tiada seorang peminang pun tampak layak baginya. Lalu, dengan kekuatan tapanya, dia menyeksa tubuhnya sendiri.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights discernment and personal agency within social expectations: marriage is treated as a duty pursued by the father, yet the woman refuses without finding a worthy match. It also shows the ethical tension between worldly obligations and ascetic resolve, where intense tapas becomes a chosen path even at bodily cost.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a maiden finds no husband equal to her. Though her father tries to arrange her marriage during his lifetime, she declines, seeing no suitable suitor. As time passes, she undertakes severe austerities and, through their intensity, mortifies her body.