Mahabharata 1.78.37 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 78, Shloka 37
ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage
(उक्ताप्येवं भृशं क्रुद्धा मां गृह विजने वने । कूपे प्रक्षेपयामास प्रक्षिप्यैव गृहं ययौ ।।
uktāpy evaṁ bhṛśaṁ kruddhā māṁ gṛhe vijane vane | kūpe prakṣepayāmāsa prakṣipyaiva gṛhaṁ yayau ||
śukra uvāca | stuvato duhitā na tvaṁ yācataḥ pratigṛhṇataḥ | astotuḥ stūyamānasya duhitā devayāny asi ||
Obwohl ich so gesprochen hatte, packte mich Śarmiṣṭhā — von wilder Wut ergriffen — in jenem einsamen Wald nahe der Wohnstätte und schleuderte mich in einen Brunnen; nachdem sie mich hineingeworfen hatte, kehrte sie nach Hause zurück. Da sprach Śukra: „Devayānī, du bist nicht die Tochter eines Schmeichlers, Bettlers oder Geschenkenehmers. Du bist die Tochter eines reinen Brāhmaṇa, der niemanden um Gewinnes willen preist, sondern von allen Menschen gepriesen wird.“
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śukra asserts an ethical ideal of brahminical self-respect: one should not live by flattery, begging, or dependence on gifts for status. True honor comes from integrity—being worthy of praise rather than seeking advantage by praising others.
Śarmiṣṭhā, furious, throws Devayānī into a well in a lonely forest and returns home. Afterward, Devayānī’s father Śukra addresses her, emphasizing her noble lineage and the dignity expected of her as the daughter of a revered brāhmaṇa.
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