Shloka 7

Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच एकदा दानवेन्द्रस्य शर्मिष्ठा नाम कन्यका । सखीसहस्रसंयुक्ता गुरुपुत्र्या च भामिनी ॥ ६ ॥ देवयान्या पुरोद्याने पुष्पितद्रुमसङ्कुले । व्यचरत्कलगीतालिनलिनीपुलिनेऽबला ॥ ७ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca ekadā dānavendrasya śarmiṣṭhā nāma kanyakā sakhī-sahasra-saṁyuktā guru-putryā ca bhāminī

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: One day Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of the Dānava king Vṛṣaparvā—innocent yet quick to anger—was strolling in the palace garden with Devayānī, the daughter of Śukrācārya, accompanied by thousands of friends. The garden was filled with lotuses and trees laden with flowers and fruits, resounding with the sweet songs of birds and the humming of bees.

Synonyms

• śrī-śukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrī-śukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (śrī + śuka)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dānavendrasya: of the lord of the Dānavas
• dānavendrasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava-indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (dānavānām indraḥ)

• śarmiṣṭhā: Śarmiṣṭhā
• śarmiṣṭhā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarmiṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• nāma: named
• nāma: Viśeṣaṇa-sambandha (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक-अव्यय (particle indicating name)

• kanyakā: a maiden
• kanyakā: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sakhī-sahasra-saṁyuktā: accompanied by a thousand female friends
• sakhī-sahasra-saṁyuktā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakhī + sahasra + saṁyukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (sakhīnāṁ sahasreṇa saṁyuktā)

• guru-putryā: with the guru’s daughter
• guru-putryā: Sahakāraka (सह/साकं—Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru-putrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (guroḥ putrī)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhāminī: the proud/spirited lady
• bhāminī: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• devayānyā: with Devayānī
• devayānyā: Sahakāraka (सह/साकं—Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devayānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• puraḥ-udyāne: in the front garden
• puraḥ-udyāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puraḥ + udyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समास (puraḥ = in front + udyāna)

• puṣpita-druma-saṅkule: crowded with flowering trees
• puṣpita-druma-saṅkule: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣpita + druma + saṅkula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (puṣpitaiḥ drumaiḥ saṅkula)

• vyacarat: she wandered
• vyacarat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: vi-

• kala-gīta-āli-nalinī-puline: on the bank with sweet-singing bees and lotuses
• kala-gīta-āli-nalinī-puline: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kala + gīta + āli + nalinī + pulina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (kalena gītena ālibhiḥ nalinībhiḥ ca pulinaṃ)

• abalā: the young woman
• abalā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Characters & Entities

• Devayānī

FAQs

Where was Devayānī wandering in Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.7?

She was wandering in her front garden, filled with flowering trees, along the bank of a lotus-filled watercourse where bees were humming.

Who is speaking this verse in the Bhagavata Purana Ninth Canto?

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating this episode to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

What is the practical lesson from the setting described in Bhagavatam 9.18.7?

Even in pleasant surroundings and comfort, the Bhagavata narrative often prepares the reader for sudden turns of destiny—encouraging humility, restraint, and remembrance of the Lord amid worldly beauty.