Shloka 21

ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven

Devanagari script

देवयान्युवाच पाणिधर्मो नाहुषायं न पुम्भि: सेवित: पुरा । त॑ मे त्वमग्रहीरग्रे वृणोमि त्वामहं तत:,देवयानीने कहा--नहुषकुमार! नारीके लिये पाणिग्रहण एक धर्म है। पहले किसी भी पुरुषने मेरा हाथ नहीं पकड़ा था। सबसे पहले आपहीने मेरा हाथ पकड़ा था। इसलिये आपटहीका मैं पतिरूपमें वरण करती हूँ

Transliteration

devayāny uvāca pāṇidharmaḥ nāhuṣāyaṃ na pumbhiḥ sevitaḥ purā | tat me tvam agrahīr agre vṛṇomi tvām ahaṃ tataḥ ||

Translation

Devayānī sprach: „O Sohn Nahūṣas, der Ritus des Handergreifens (pāṇigrahaṇa) ist das Dharma der Frau, und bis jetzt hat kein Mann je meine Hand beansprucht. Du warst der Erste, der sie ergriff; darum wähle ich dich von diesem Augenblick an zum Gatten.“

Word by Word

देवयानीDevayānī

उवाचsaid

पाणि-धर्मःthe duty of taking (a woman's) hand (i.e., marriage rite)

नnot

आहुषायfor (you,) O son of Nahusha / O Āyuṣa (Nahusha's descendant)

नnot

पुम्भिःby men

सेवितःpractised/observed

पुराformerly, earlier

तत्that

मेof me / my

त्वम्you

अग्रहीःtook, seized

अग्रेfirst, in the beginning

वृणोमिI choose

त्वाम्you

अहम्I

ततःtherefore, from that (reason)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Devayānī

Nahuṣa (as lineage reference)

Yayāti (implied as ‘son of Nahuṣa’)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames marriage as a dharmic act (pāṇigrahaṇa) and emphasizes legitimacy through a recognized rite and the woman’s explicit choice, linking personal consent with social-religious norm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Devayānī addresses Yayāti (identified by his descent from Nahuṣa) and declares that since he was the first man to take her hand, she accepts that act as the basis for choosing him as her husband.