Shloka 16
Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue
सत्यं मे प्रतिजानीहि यथा वक्ष्याम्यहं रह: । मयि जायेत य: पुत्र: स भवेत् त्वदनन्तर:,और उसका पालन करनेके लिये मुझसे सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा कीजिये। वह शर्त क्या है, यह मैं एकान्तमें आपसे कह रही हूँ--महाराज दुष्यन्त! मेरे गर्भसे आपके द्वारा जो पुत्र उत्पन्न हो, वही आपके बाद युवराज हो, ऐसी मेरी इच्छा है। यह मैं आपसे सत्य कहती हूँ। यदि यह शर्त इसी रूपमें आपको स्वीकार हो तो आपके साथ मेरा समागम हो सकता है
satyaṃ me pratijānīhi yathā vakṣyāmy ahaṃ rahaḥ | mayi jāyeta yaḥ putraḥ sa bhavet tvad-anantaraḥ ||
She said: “Pledge truthfully to me, for I shall speak to you in private what I intend. The son who is born from you in me must become the heir after you.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s desire must be governed by satya (truth) and pratijñā (binding promise): ethical union and social order depend on publicly accountable commitments, especially regarding the protection and rightful status of offspring.
Duṣyanta is asked to make a truthful, private pledge: any son born from their union must be recognized as his successor. The scene frames intimacy as conditional upon a dharmic guarantee of the child’s future.