Shloka 11

ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)

Devanagari script

स मलेनापकृष्टेन पिप्लुस्तस्या व्यरोचत । दमयन्त्या यथा व्यभ्रे नभसीव निशाकर:,मैल धुल जानेपर उसके ललाटका वह चिह्न उसी प्रकार चमक उठा, जैसे बादलरहित आकाशकमें चन्द्रमा प्रकाशित होता है

Transliteration

sa malena apakṛṣṭena piplus tasyā vyarocata | damayantyā yathā vyabhre nabhasīva niśākaraḥ ||

Translation

Khi lớp bụi nhơ được lau sạch, dấu ấn trên trán nàng bừng sáng rõ ràng—như vầng trăng rạng ngời giữa bầu trời quang đãng không mây.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'that (mark/sign)', 'malena': 'by dirt, grime', 'apakṛṣṭena': 'removed, wiped away, drawn off', 'piplus': 'a spot/mark

• a small blemish or sign (here: a distinguishing mark on the forehead)', 'tasyāḥ': 'of her', 'vyarocata': 'shone forth, became radiant', 'damayantyāḥ': 'of Damayantī', 'yathā': 'just as', 'vyabhre': 'free of clouds, cloudless', 'nabhasīva': 'in the sky as if', 'niśākaraḥ': 'the moon (lit. maker of night)'}

Speaker

युदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Damayantī
• Moon (niśākara)
• Sky (nabhas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True worth is intrinsic: hardship and neglect may conceal a person’s radiance, but when the obscuring ‘dirt’ is removed, virtue and identity become evident again—like the moon revealed in a clear sky.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker describes how, after the grime is cleared away, a distinctive mark on Damayantī’s forehead becomes visible and radiant, enabling recognition and emphasizing her enduring nobility despite suffering.