Shloka 37
Kardama Muni’s Mystic Opulence, Devahūti’s Rejuvenation, and the Turning Toward Fearlessness
स तां कृतमलस्नानां विभ्राजन्तीमपूर्ववत् । आत्मनो बिभ्रतीं रूपं संवीतरुचिरस्तनीम् ॥ ३६ ॥ विद्याधरीसहस्रेण सेव्यमानां सुवाससम् । जातभावो विमानं तदारोहयदमित्रहन् ॥ ३७ ॥
sa tāṁ kṛta-mala-snānāṁ vibhrājantīm apūrvavat ātmano bibhratīṁ rūpaṁ saṁvīta-rucira-stanīm
Pinaglilingkuran siya ng sanlibong Vidyādhari at nakasuot ng maringal na damit. O tagapagpuksa ng kaaway, lumago ang pag-ibig ng pantas at isinakay niya siya sa palasyong panghimpapawid na iyon.
Before her marriage, when Devahūti was brought by her parents before the sage Kardama, she was the perfectly beautiful princess, and Kardama Muni remembered her former beauty. But after her marriage, when she was engaged in the service of Kardama Muni, she neglected to care for her body like a princess, since there was no means for such care; her husband was living in a cottage, and since she was always engaged in serving him, her royal beauty disappeared, and she became just like an ordinary maidservant. Now, after being bathed by the Gandharva girls by the order of Kardama Muni’s yogic power, she regained her beauty, and Kardama Muni felt attracted to the beauty she had shown before the marriage. The real beauty of a young woman is her breasts. When Kardama Muni saw the breasts of his wife so nicely decorated, increasing her beauty many times, he was attracted, even though he was a great sage. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has therefore warned the transcendentalists that one who is after transcendental realization should not be attracted by the raised breasts of a woman because they are nothing but an interaction of fat and blood within the body.
FAQs
This verse shows that cleansing and purity (snāna) bring forth radiance, and that auspicious beauty is enhanced when life is lived with dharma and devotion.
It indicates harmony and divine arrangement in their union—her form and splendor are portrayed as perfectly suited to Kardama, reflecting sanctified marital concord.
Maintain inner and outer cleanliness, modesty, and dignity—these support clarity, harmony in relationships, and a life aligned with spiritual values.