Shloka 60

ययाति–देवयानी संवादः

Yayāti–Devayānī Dialogue and Śukra’s Consent

Devanagari script

पुत्रो भूत्वा भावय भावितो मा- मस्मद्देहादुपनिष्क्रम्य तात । समीक्षेथा धर्मवतीमवेक्षां गुरो: सकाशातृ्‌ प्राप्य विद्यां सविद्य:,तात! मेरे इस शरीरसे जीवित निकलकर मेरे लिये पुत्रके तुल्य हो मुझे पुन: जिला देना। मुझ गुरुसे विद्या प्राप्त करके विद्वान्‌ हो जानेपर भी मेरे प्रति धर्मयुक्त दृष्टिसे ही देखना

Transliteration

śukra uvāca |

putro bhūtvā bhāvaya bhāvito mā-

masmaddehād upaniṣkramya tāta |

samīkṣethā dharmavatīm avekṣāṃ

guroḥ sakāśāt prāpya vidyāṃ savidyaḥ ||

Translation

Śukra said: “Dear child, when the life departs from this body of mine, come out of me alive; then be as a son to me and restore me to life in return for what I have nurtured in you. And even after you have obtained learning from your teacher and become truly learned, look upon me only with a righteous, dutiful regard.”

Word by Word

{'putraḥ''son', 'bhūtvā': 'having become

becoming', 'bhāvaya''cause to live/restore

sustain (alsohonor, cherish)', 'bhāvitaḥ': 'nurtured, fostered, benefited

one who has been supported', 'mām''me', 'asmad-dehāt': 'from my body', 'upaniṣkramya': 'having gone out

having departed (esp. of life-breath)', 'tāta''dear child

son (vocative)', 'samīkṣethāḥ''you should look upon

you should regard', 'dharmavatīm''righteous

in accordance with dharma', 'avekṣām/avekṣāṃ''look, gaze

attitude of viewing', 'guroḥ sakāśāt''from the presence of the teacher

from the teacher', 'prāpya''having obtained', 'vidyām': 'knowledge

learning', 'savidyaḥ''learned

Speaker

शुक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śukra

guru (teacher)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Learning (vidyā) must be governed by dharma: even after becoming learned through one’s teacher, one should maintain a righteous, respectful attitude toward benefactors and elders, repaying nurture with gratitude and duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śukra addresses a younger person (tāta), asking that when Śukra’s life leaves his body, the listener should act like a son and restore him, and thereafter—despite gaining learning from a guru—continue to regard Śukra with a dharma-aligned, dutiful gaze.