Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.58.19
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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icchantīm
—
looking for (one who wishes)
Present participle of √iṣ — desiring. Arjuna correctly reads the tapas-posture as an icchā (desire) for a husband — a recognised motive for women's penance in śāstra (cf. Pārvatī, Sāvitrī).
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patim
—
a husband
Accusative of pati. The frame of the whole episode: Kālindī seeks a husband, and only One will do. Gauḍīyas: pati can mean simply 'husband' or 'Lord'; she chooses the word that admits both readings simultaneously.
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kathaya
—
please explain
Imperative of √kath. Arjuna's tone is courtly, not interrogative. The Bhāgavatam models how to address a tapasvinī — with respect, with space, with the request to speak rather than the demand.
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śobhane
—
O beautiful one
Vocative — a respectful epithet, not a flirtation. Kṣatriya etiquette toward a strange woman in penance: name her beauty as Lakṣmī-aṁśa, not as object.
Who are you--are you a devatā or human being and what is your name? Whose daughter are you? From which place (kutaḥ) have you come--where do you live? Or, for what purpose (kutaḥ) are you here? What do you desire to do? You are unmarried. I think that you desire to have a husband. You are most beautiful (suśroṇī)! You have the best qualities (suśobhane). You desire a husband with similar qualities. Arjuna saw her as a sister. When he says she has fine hips (varārohām) in the previous verse, it is only with that intention. Please reply to all my questions. Instead of sarvam sometimes kanyām is seen. Another meaning of suśobhane is “You should speak in a beautiful manner.”
- Where do you avoid asking the obvious because of false delicacy?
- How does direct inquiry actually honor the other?
A traveller meeting a tapasvinī in the forest must ask the questions one asks at the gates of a temple: who are you, whose are you, what are you seeking? Arjuna's polite catechism reveals the depth of the scene — Kālindī is not lost; she is at her chosen post.
My note
Source: vedabase.io