Shloka 34

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

शारदोत्पलपत्राक्ष्या शारदोत्पलगन्धया । शारदोत्पलसेविन्या रूपेण श्रीसमानया,उसके नेत्र शरद्‌ू-ऋतुके प्रफुल्ल कमलदलके समान सुन्दर एवं विशाल हैं। उसके शरीरसे शारदीय कमलके समान सुगन्ध फैलती रहती है। वह शरद्‌-ऋतुके कमलोंका सेवन करती है तथा रूपमें साक्षात्‌ लक्ष्मीके समान है

Transliteration

śāradotpalapatrākṣyā śāradotpalagandhayā | śāradotpalasevinyā rūpeṇa śrīsamanayā ||

Translation

由提施提罗说道：“她的眼眸美丽而宽广，如秋时盛开的莲瓣。她的身上散发着如秋莲般的芬芳。她喜爱秋莲，而其容色之美，可比于吉祥天女室利（拉克希米）自身。”

Word by Word

शारदोत्पलपत्राक्ष्याby/with (her) eyes like the petals of autumn lotuses

शारदोत्पलगन्धयाwith the fragrance of autumn lotuses

शारदोत्पलसेविन्याby/with (her being) one who resorts to/uses autumn lotuses

रूपेणby/with beauty; in appearance

श्रीसमानयाequal to Śrī (Lakṣmī)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Śrī (Lakṣmī)

śāradotpala (autumn lotus)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses refined poetic imagery to portray captivating beauty, implicitly warning how sensory allure can influence judgment in royal and ethical contexts—an undercurrent in the Sabha narrative where desire and fascination can cloud dharmic discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is describing a woman’s extraordinary beauty through autumn-lotus similes—eyes like lotus petals, lotus-like fragrance, delight in lotuses, and a form comparable to Lakṣmī—within the broader Sabha Parva setting of courtly speech and consequential choices.