Shloka 4
Vivāha-dharma: Kanyā-pradāna, Śulka, and Pāṇigrahaṇa-niṣṭhā (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४४)
रुचिं च रुचिरापाजड़ीं पीनश्रोणिपयोधराम् । पद्मपत्रविशालाक्षीं सम्पूर्णेन्दुनिभाननाम्
ruciṃ ca rucirāpāṅgīṃ pīnaśroṇipayodharām | padmapatraviśālākṣīṃ sampūrṇendunibhānanām ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “At nagpakita si Ruci—kaibig-ibig sa kanyang pahilis na sulyap, may ganap na balakang at masaganang dibdib, may malalaking matang tulad ng mga talulot ng lotus na bagong bukadkad, at may mukhang kahawig ng kabilugan ng buwan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive, using standard poetic similes (lotus-eyes, moon-face) to signal auspicious presence and to characterize Ruci’s appearance; it does not directly state a moral rule, but reflects epic aesthetics where beauty is a narrative indicator of prominence and fortune.
Bhishma describes the appearance of a woman named Ruci, portraying her with conventional markers of beauty—graceful sidelong glances, full form, lotus-like large eyes, and a face like the full moon—indicating that she is seen seated/appearing before the observer in the scene.