Shloka 31
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
भोगोपचारान् विविधान् सौभाग्यं चाप्यनुत्तमम् । पान पिब महाभागे भोगैश्चानुत्तमै: शुभै:
bhogopacārān vividhān saubhāgyaṃ cāpy anuttamam | pānaṃ piba mahābhāge bhogaiś cānuttamaiḥ śubhaiḥ ||
भोगोपचारान् विविधान् सौभाग्यं चाप्यनुत्तमम् । पानं पिब महाभागे भोगैश्चानुत्तमैः शुभैः ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between sensual indulgence and restraint: it depicts a persuasive invitation to pleasure that treats beauty and fortune as things to be ‘used,’ thereby implicitly raising questions about objectification, self-control, and dharma in a courtly setting.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a scene in which a woman is being urged to enjoy luxurious comforts and fine drinks; the speaker flatters her beauty and uses the metaphor of an unworn garland to suggest her attractiveness is ‘wasted’ unless she becomes someone’s adornment.