Shloka 29
Damayantī’s Proposal of a Witnessed Choice; Nala Reports to the Lokapālas
Adhyāya 53
सफल ते भवेज्जन्म रूप॑ चेदं सुमध्यमे । वयं हि देवगन्धर्वमनुष्योरगराक्षसान्
saphala te bhavej janma rūpaṁ cedaṁ sumadhyame | vayaṁ hi devagandharva-manuṣyoraga-rākṣasān
Disse Bṛhadaśva: “Ó dama de cintura esbelta, se esta tua beleza vier acompanhada de virtude e reta conduta, então teu nascimento será verdadeiramente frutífero. Pois vimos e conhecemos muitos tipos de seres—deuses, Gandharvas, humanos, serpentes e Rākṣasas—e, ainda assim, é o caráter que dá valor duradouro, para além da mera aparência.”
बृहृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outward beauty with inner worth: a life becomes truly “fruitful” when beauty is accompanied by dharmic conduct and virtue; mere appearance is not the final measure of value.
Bṛhadaśva addresses a woman respectfully (“sumadhyame”) and begins a reflective statement: having encountered many orders of beings—divine, celestial, human, serpentine, and demonic—he frames his counsel around what makes a person’s life meaningful beyond external form.