Shloka 20
Śaryāti, Sukanyā, Cyavana Muni, the Aśvinī-kumāras, and Kakudmī-Revatī
Baladeva Marriage
चिकीर्षितं ते किमिदं पतिस्त्वया प्रलम्भितो लोकनमस्कृतो मुनि: । यत् त्वं जराग्रस्तमसत्यसम्मतं विहाय जारं भजसेऽमुमध्वगम् ॥ २० ॥
cikīrṣitaṁ te kim idaṁ patis tvayā pralambhito loka-namaskṛto muniḥ yat tvaṁ jarā-grastam asaty asammataṁ vihāya jāraṁ bhajase ’mum adhvagam
O unchaste girl, what is this you intend? You have deceived your husband, the sage honored by all. Seeing him old and diseased and thus unattractive, you have abandoned him and taken this young man—like a beggar from the road—as your husband.
This shows the values of Vedic culture. According to the circumstances, Sukanyā had been given a husband who was too old to be compatible with her. Because Cyavana Muni was diseased and very old, he was certainly unfit for the beautiful daughter of King Śaryāti. Nonetheless, her father expected her to be faithful to her husband. When he suddenly saw that his daughter had accepted someone else, even though the man was young and handsome, he immediately chastised her as asatī, unchaste, because he assumed that she had accepted another man in the presence of her husband. According to Vedic culture, even if a young woman is given an old husband, she must respectfully serve him. This is chastity. It is not that because she dislikes her husband she may give him up and accept another. This is against Vedic culture. According to Vedic culture, a woman must accept the husband given to her by her parents and remain chaste and faithful to him. Therefore King Śaryāti was surprised to see a young man by the side of Sukanyā.
FAQs
This verse condemns deception within marriage, portraying it as adharma—especially grievous when the spouse is virtuous and respected—while warning against abandoning duty for illicit attraction.
The speaker emphasizes the husband’s recognized virtue and spiritual standing, making the act of deceiving him not merely a private wrong but a serious breach of dharma against a respected, righteous person.
It urges honesty, loyalty, and responsibility in committed relationships, and cautions against rationalizing harmful choices based on fleeting desire or superficial judgments like age or convenience.