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 ||
தேவி! சுபே! பூமியில் திலோத்தமையின் அழகுக்கு ஒப்பில்லை. அந்த இன்முகக் கன்னி என் மனத்தை ஈர்த்து என்னைச் சுற்றிப் பிரதட்சிணம் செய்ய வந்தாள்.
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.