Shloka 7
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
रूपेणाप्रतिमां तासां स्त्रीणां मध्ये वराड़नाम् । शर्मिष्ठया सेव्यमानां पादसंवाहनादिभि:
rūpeṇāpratimāṃ tāsāṃ strīṇāṃ madhye varāḍnām | śarmiṣṭhayā sevyamānāṃ pādasaṃvāhanādibhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Entre aquelas mulheres, ela era incomparável em beleza. A donzela formosa estava sentada no meio delas, enquanto Śarmiṣṭhā a servia—massageando-lhe os pés e prestando outros cuidados—realçando a hierarquia social e a tensão moral implícita num serviço imposto ou consagrado pelo costume.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how external beauty and social rank can create asymmetrical relationships of service, inviting reflection on dharma: whether service is voluntary and respectful or driven by pride, coercion, or rivalry.
A supremely beautiful woman sits among other women, and Śarmiṣṭhā is shown attending to her with foot-massage and related services, indicating a subordinate role and setting up interpersonal and ethical tensions in the surrounding episode.