Shloka 31

ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven

Devanagari script

शुक्र उवाच वृतोडनया पतिर्वीर सुतया त्वं ममेष्टया । गृहाणेमां मया दत्तां महिषीं नहुषात्मज,शुक्राचार्यने कहा--वीर नहुषनन्दन! मेरी इस लाड़ली पुत्रीने तुम्हें पतिरूपमें वरण किया है; अतः मेरी दी हुई इस कन्याको तुम अपनी पटरानीके रूपमें ग्रहण करो

Transliteration

śukra uvāca | vṛtodanayā patir vīra sutayā tvaṃ mameṣṭayā | gṛhāṇemāṃ mayā dattāṃ mahiṣīṃ nahuṣātmaja ||

Translation

Śukra sprach: „O Held, Sohn Nahuṣas! Meine geliebte Tochter Vṛtodana hat dich zum Gemahl erwählt. Darum, o Sohn Nahuṣas, nimm dieses Mädchen an, das ich dir gebe, und mache sie zu deiner Hauptkönigin.“

Word by Word

शुक्रःŚukra (the sage)

उवाचsaid

वृतोदनयाby Vṛtodana (name of the daughter)

पतिःas husband

वीरO hero

सुतयाby (my) daughter

त्वम्you

ममof me / my

इष्टयाbeloved, cherished

गृहाणaccept, take

इमाम्this (woman)

मयाby me

दत्ताम्given

महिषीम्chief queen

नहुषात्मजO son of Nahuṣa

Speaker

शुक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śukra (Śukrācārya)

Vṛtodana (Śukra's daughter)

Nahuṣa

Nahuṣātmaja (the son of Nahuṣa, addressed as the prospective groom)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dharmic marriage as a union grounded in the woman’s choice and the guardian’s formal bestowal, establishing social and royal legitimacy through consent and proper rite.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śukra announces that his daughter Vṛtodana has chosen the son of Nahuṣa as her husband and instructs him to accept her as his principal queen, thereby formalizing the marriage alliance.