Shloka 40
ययाति–देवयानी संवादः
Yayāti–Devayānī Dialogue and Śukra’s Consent
हतो5हमिति चाचख्यौ पृष्टो ब्राह्मणकन्यया । स पुनर्देवयान्योक्त: पुष्पाहारो यदृच्छया,इस प्रकार ब्राह्मणकन्याके पूछनेपर कचने उससे अपने मारे जानेकी बात बतायी। तदनन्तर पुन: देवयानीने एक दिन अकस्मात् कचको फूल लानेके लिये कहा
hato’ham iti cācakhyau pṛṣṭo brāhmaṇakanyayā | sa punar devayānyoktaḥ puṣpāhāro yadṛcchayā ||
When questioned by the Brahmin maiden, Kaca disclosed, “I have been slain.” Thereafter, on another occasion, Devayānī, as if by chance, asked Kaca to go and bring flowers.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) even amid danger and emotional entanglement: when asked, Kaca states plainly that he has been killed. It also hints at how seemingly casual requests can carry ethical and narrative consequences, testing duty, restraint, and intention.
After being questioned by a Brahmin maiden, Kaca reveals that he has been slain. Subsequently, Devayānī, on another occasion, asks him—apparently casually—to fetch flowers, which advances the ongoing Kaca–Devayānī episode within Śukra’s household.