Shloka 20
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
राजन! उस नदीके गर्भसे राजाके द्वारा एक कमललोचना कन्या उत्पन्न हुई जो नामसे तो सुदर्शना थी ही, रूपसे भी सुदर्शना (सुन्दर एवं दर्शनीय) थी ।।
rājan! us nadīke garbhase rājake dvārā eka kamalalocanā kanyā utpannā huī yā nāmato 'pi sudarśanā āsīt, rūpato 'pi sudarśanā (sundarī ca darśanīyā) āsīt. tādṛg-rūpā na nārīṣu bhūtapūrvā yudhiṣṭhira. duryodhana-sutā yādṛg abhavad varavarṇinī.
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，从那条河的胎藏之中——借由国王之力——诞生了一位莲眼少女。她名为苏达尔珊那，而其容貌亦真配此名：秀丽可观，令人敬赏。噢由提施提罗，在女子之中，从未见过如此形色。杜尤陀那那位肤色皎洁的女儿，便是这般绝世之美。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves a narrative-ethical function: it frames extraordinary beauty as a noteworthy sign within royal and social discourse, while reminding the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira) that such exceptional qualities are rare and often tied to questions of lineage, destiny, and the responsibilities that follow.
Bhīṣma describes the birth of a lotus-eyed maiden named Sudarśanā, said to have arisen from a river’s womb through a king’s agency, and emphasizes that no woman of such beauty had been seen before; he identifies her as Duryodhana’s fair-complexioned daughter.