Shloka 22

Śukra’s Ultimatum and Devayānī’s Demand (शुक्र-प्रतिज्ञा तथा देवयानी-वर-याचना)

Devanagari script

अनुदर्श ततश्रक्रे प्रत्यगृह्नान्न चाप्पसौ | ततो महर्षिश्रि: क्रुद्ध: सद्य: शप्तो व्यनश्यत,धन्यं यशस्यमायुष्यं कीर्तयिष्यामि तेडनघ । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--निष्पाप जनमेजय! अब मैं दक्ष प्रजापति, वैवस्वत मनु, भरत, कुरु, पूर, अजमीढ, यादव, कौरव तथा भरतवंशियोंकी कुल-परम्पराका तुमसे वर्णन करूँगा। उनका कुल परम पवित्र, महान्‌ मंगलकारी तथा धन, यश और आयुकी प्राप्ति करानेवाला है जनमेजय! ब्रह्मतोकसे सनत्कुमारजीने आकर उन्हें बहुत समझाया और ब्राह्मणोंपर अत्याचार न करनेका उपदेश दिया, किंतु वे उनकी शिक्षा ग्रहण न कर सके। तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए महर्षियोंने तत्काल उन्हें शाप दे दिया, जिससे वे नष्ट हो गये

Transliteration

anu darśa tataḥ śakre pratyagṛhṇān na cāpy asau | tato maharṣiśrīḥ kruddhaḥ sadyaḥ śapto vyanāśyata || dhanyaṃ yaśasyam āyuṣyaṃ kīrtayiṣyāmi te 'nagha |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Though Indra showed him the proper course, he neither accepted it nor complied. Then the revered sages, angered, at once pronounced a curse, and he was destroyed. O sinless one, I shall now recount to you a lineage that is blessed, fame-giving, and life-promoting.”

Word by Word

अनुदर्शhe observed / he looked after

ततःthen, thereafter

शक्रेin/with regard to Śakra (Indra)

प्रत्यगृह्णात्he accepted / received

नnot

चand

अप्सुin the waters

ततःthen

महर्षिःthe great sage

क्रुद्धःangered

सद्यःimmediately

शप्तःcursed

व्यनश्यत्perished / was destroyed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śakra (Indra)

Maharṣis (great sages)

Janamejaya (implied by anagha in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Respect for dharmic instruction—especially from divine or sage authority—is essential; rejecting wise counsel and persisting in wrongdoing invites swift karmic consequence, here expressed as a sage’s curse leading to destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana notes that a certain person did not accept Indra’s guidance; the sages, angered by this obstinacy (and implied misconduct), immediately cursed him, causing his downfall. The speaker then transitions to announcing a forthcoming account of an auspicious lineage.