Shloka 41

Śukra’s Ultimatum and Devayānī’s Demand (शुक्र-प्रतिज्ञा तथा देवयानी-वर-याचना)

Devanagari script

यजतो दीर्घ॑सत्रैमें शापाच्चोशनसो मुने: । कामार्थ: परिहीणो<यं तप्येयं तेन पुत्रका:,'पुत्रो) अबतक तो मैं दीर्घकालीन यज्ञोंके अनुष्ठानमें लगा रहा और अब मुनिवर शुक्राचार्यके शापसे बुढ़ापेने मुझे धर दबाया है, जिससे मेरा कामरूप पुरुषार्थ छिन गया। इसीसे मैं संतप्त हो रहा हूँ

Transliteration

yajato dīrghasatrair me śāpāc cośanaso muneḥ | kāmārthaḥ parihīṇo ’yaṃ tapye ’haṃ tena putrakāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Während ich in langwährenden Opferzeremonien verweilte, brachte der Fluch des Weisen Uśanas (Śukrācārya) das Alter über mich. Dadurch ist mir die Kraft des kāma — die Lebenskraft von Begehren und Genuss — genommen worden; darum, meine Söhne, bin ich bedrängt und brenne vor Kummer.“

Word by Word

यजतःof (me) sacrificing / while sacrificing

दीर्घसत्रैःby long sacrificial sessions

इमेthese

शापात्from/owing to a curse

चand

उशनसःof Uśanas (Śukra)

मुनेःof the sage

कामार्थःthe aim/means of desire (sexual potency/pleasure as a goal)

परिहीनःdeprived, bereft

अयम्this (I)

तप्येI suffer / I am tormented

अहम्I

तेनby that / because of that

पुत्रकाःO dear sons

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Uśanas (Śukra/Śukrācārya)

sons (putrakāḥ)

long satra-sacrifices (dīrghasatra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even sustained ritual achievement (long sacrifices) does not place one beyond the reach of time and karmic consequence; a curse and old age can strip away kāma-capacity, reminding that human aims (puruṣārthas) are fragile and must be pursued within dharma and with awareness of impermanence.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports a personal condition: after long sacrificial observances, the curse of the sage Uśanas has caused premature/inescapable old age, resulting in the loss of kāma (desire/sexual vigor), and he expresses distress to his sons.