Shloka 32
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 98 — Paraśurāma’s kṣatriya suppression; Dīrghatamas, Bali, Sudēṣṇā, and the birth of Aṅga
यक्षी वा पन्नगी वापि मानुषी वा सुमध्यमे । याचे त्वां सुरगर्भाभे भार्या मे भव शोभने,तब राजा शान्तनु उसे सान्त्वना देते हुए मधुर वाणीमें बोले--'सुमध्यमे! तुम देवी, दानवी, गन्धर्वी, अप्सरा, यक्षी, नागकन्या अथवा मानवी, कुछ भी क्यों न होओ; देवकन्याके समान सुशोभित होनेवाली सुन्दरी! मैं तुमसे याचना करता हूँ कि मेरी पत्नी हो जाओ'
yakṣī vā pannagī vāpi mānuṣī vā sumadhyame | yāce tvāṃ suragarbhābhe bhāryā me bhava śobhane ||
„O du Schlankgegürtete! Ob du eine Yakṣī bist, eine Schlangenmaid oder ein Menschenweib—o Schöne, strahlend wie eine himmlische Jungfrau—ich flehe dich an: werde meine Gemahlin.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights respectful petition and the ethical impulse to seek a socially and morally recognized bond (marriage) rather than possession—valuing the person’s beauty and presence without making lineage or species the decisive criterion.
King Śāntanu, captivated by a mysterious woman of extraordinary radiance, addresses her with courteous praise and asks her to become his wife, explicitly stating that her supernatural or human origin does not deter his request.