Shloka 31
Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire
विलोक्यौशनसीं राजञ्छर्मिष्ठा सुप्रजां क्वचित् । तमेव वव्रे रहसि सख्या: पतिमृतौ सती ॥ ३१ ॥
vilokyauśanasīṁ rājañ charmiṣṭhā suprajāṁ kvacit tam eva vavre rahasi sakhyāḥ patim ṛtau satī
O King Parīkṣit, seeing Devayānī blessed with a fine son, Śarmiṣṭhā once, at a time fit for conception, approached King Yayāti—the husband of her friend—in a secluded place and entreated him: “Grant that I too may obtain a son.”
FAQs
In this episode, Śarmiṣṭhā observes Devayānī flourishing with a worthy son and then secretly chooses the same man as her husband, showing the tangled dynamics of duty, desire, and royal life in Yayāti’s story.
The verse indicates that after seeing Devayānī blessed with a good son, Śarmiṣṭhā privately chose that very man—reflecting the narrative’s theme of complex interpersonal bonds and consequential choices within the royal household.
Private, desire-driven decisions in relationships can create lasting complications; the Bhagavatam’s royal narratives encourage integrity, clarity, and responsibility in personal commitments.