Shloka 48
Śukra’s Ultimatum and Devayānī’s Demand (शुक्र-प्रतिज्ञा तथा देवयानी-वर-याचना)
ययातिरपि पत्नीभ्यां दीर्घकालं विहृत्य च | विश्वाच्या सहितो रेमे पुनश्चैत्ररथे वने,उन्होंने अपनी दोनों पत्नियोंके साथ दीर्घकालतक विहार करके चैत्ररथ वनमें जाकर विश्वाची अप्सराके साथ रमण किया
yayātir api patnībhyāṁ dīrghakālaṁ vihṛtya ca | viśvācyā sahito reme punaś caitrarathe vane ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Even King Yayāti, after sporting for a long time with his two wives, went again to the Caitraratha forest and took pleasure there in the company of the apsaras Viśvācī. The episode shows how indulgence can persist even after prolonged enjoyment, hinting at the ethical tension between sensual pursuit and the steadiness expected of a ruler.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to the recurring nature of sensual craving: even after long enjoyment, the mind may seek novelty again. In a Mahābhārata ethical frame, it cautions that unchecked kāma can pull a ruler away from restraint and dharma.
Yayāti has already spent a long time enjoying with his two wives; afterward he goes to the Caitraratha forest and enjoys again, this time in the company of the apsaras Viśvācī, as narrated by Vaiśampāyana.