Mahabharata 1.78.9 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 78, Shloka 9
ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage
शर्मिष्टोवाच आसीनं च शयानं च पिता ते पितरं मम । स्तौति वन्दीव चाभीक्ष्णं नीचे: स्थित्वा विनीतवत्
śarmiṣṭhovāca āsīnaṃ ca śayānaṃ ca pitā te pitaraṃ mama | stauti vandīva cābhīkṣṇaṃ nīceḥ sthitvā vinītavat ||
Śarmiṣṭhā sprach: „Ob mein Vater sitzt oder liegt, dein Vater steht darunter wie ein demütiger Diener und preist, wie ein Hofbarde, immer wieder meinen Vater.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride and contempt can weaponize social status: Śarmiṣṭhā mocks the other by pointing to her father’s deferential conduct, showing how arrogance and humiliation disrupt right conduct and relationships.
In the quarrel between the two young women, Śarmiṣṭhā taunts her rival by claiming that the rival’s father stands below and repeatedly praises Śarmiṣṭhā’s father like a bard, emphasizing perceived superiority and provoking further conflict.
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