Shloka 16
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
लक्ष्मी: पद्मालया का त्वमथ भूति: सुमध्यमे । ह्वी: श्री: कीर्तिरथो कान्तिरासां का त्वं वरानने
lakṣmīḥ padmālayā kā tvam atha bhūtiḥ sumadhyame | hrīḥ śrīḥ kīrtir atho kāntir āsāṃ kā tvaṃ varānane ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi người thắt lưng thon, nàng là ai? Nàng là Lakṣmī ngự trong hoa sen, hay là Bhūti—phú quý hiện thân? Hỡi giai nhân mặt ngọc—trong các nữ thần Hrī (đức thẹn thùng), Śrī (vinh quang/phúc lộc), Kīrti (danh tiếng) và Kānti (quang huy)—nàng là ai?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true excellence is perceived as a convergence of virtues—prosperity, modesty, splendor, good fame, and radiance—suggesting that ethical qualities (like hrī) are integral to what society recognizes as ‘fortune’ and ‘beauty,’ not merely external appearance.
A narrator’s voice (Vaiśampāyana) reports someone addressing an exceptionally impressive woman, so striking that she is compared to Lakṣmī and other personified virtues; the speaker asks which divine quality she embodies.