Shloka 22
Adhyāya 71: Kaca and the Saṃjīvanī-vidyā
Devayānī–Śukra Episode
गुणैरप्सरसां दिव्यैर्मेनके त्वं विशिष्यसे । श्रेयो मे कुरु कल्याणि यत् त्वां वक्ष्यामि तच्छुणु,“मेनके! अप्सराओंके जो दिव्य गुण हैं, वे तुममें सबसे अधिक हैं। कल्याणि! तुम मेरा भला करो और मैं तुमसे जो बात कहता हूँ, सुनो। वे सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी, महातपस्वी विश्वामित्र घोर तपस्यामें संलग्न हो मेरे मनको कम्पित कर रहे हैं
kaṇva uvāca | guṇair apsarasāṁ divyair menake tvaṁ viśiṣyase | śreyo me kuru kalyāṇi yat tvāṁ vakṣyāmi tac chṛṇu |
Kaṇva said: “Menakā, among the apsarases you excel in divine qualities. O auspicious one, do what is beneficial for me; listen to what I am about to tell you.”
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral tension between ascetic power (tapas) and worldly/divine allure: extraordinary gifts and beauty are treated as instruments that can be directed toward someone’s perceived welfare, raising ethical questions about intention, manipulation, and the testing of spiritual discipline.
Kaṇva addresses Menakā, praising her as foremost among apsarases and urging her to listen and act for his benefit. In the surrounding episode, the severe austerities of Viśvāmitra become a cause for concern in the divine order, and Menakā is drawn into the plan that will test or disrupt his penance.