Shloka 166
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
तस्य भार्या रुचिनाम रूपेणासदृशी भुवि । पहलेकी बात है, देवशर्मा नामके एक महा-भाग्यशाली ऋषि थे। उनके रुचि नामवाली एक स्त्री थी जो इस पृथ्वीपर अद्वितीय सुन्दरी थी
tasya bhāryā rucinām rūpeṇāsadṛśī bhuvi |
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “Ang kanyang asawa, na ang pangalan ay Rucī, ay walang kapantay sa ganda sa ibabaw ng lupa.” Ipinakikilala ng salaysay ang isang huwarang tahanan—kung saan ang panlabas na karingalan (ganda, kapalaran) ay nagiging likuran ng pagninilay sa asal, pagpipigil, at dharma sa buhay-pamilya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itself is descriptive, but it sets up a common Mahābhārata ethical pattern: extraordinary external qualities (beauty, fortune) are introduced to frame later instruction on inner virtues—self-control, fidelity, and dharma in household life.
Bhīṣma begins (or continues) a story by describing a man’s wife, Rucī, emphasizing that she is unparalleled in beauty on earth—an introductory detail that prepares the listener for subsequent events and moral evaluation.