Shloka 7
ययाति–देवयानी संवादः
Yayāti–Devayānī Dialogue and Śukra’s Consent
ब्राह्मणी तावुभौ नित्यमन्योन्यस्पर्थिनौ भृशम् । तत्र देवा निजघ्नुर्यान् दानवान् युधि संगतान्,उसमें विजय पानेकी इच्छासे देवताओंने अंगिरा मुनिके पुत्र बृहस्पतिका पुरोहितके पदपर वरण किया और दैत्योंने शुक्राचार्यको पुरोहित बनाया। वे दोनों ब्राह्मण सदा आपसमें बहुत लाग-डाट रखते थे। देवताओंने उस युद्धमें आये हुए जिन दानवोंको मारा था, उन्हें शुक्राचार्यने अपनी संजीवनी विद्याके बलसे पुनः जीवित कर दिया। अतः वे पुनः उठकर देवताओंसे युद्ध करने लगे
brāhmaṇī tāv ubhau nityam anyonya-sparthinau bhṛśam | tatra devā nijaghnur yān dānavān yudhi saṅgatān |
Vaiśampāyana said: Those two Brahmin priests were constantly in fierce rivalry with one another. In that conflict, the gods struck down the Dānavas who had come together on the battlefield.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that conflict is not driven only by warriors and weapons; rivalry among spiritual authorities and the strategic use of sacred power can decisively shape outcomes. It implicitly raises an ethical tension: when knowledge and ritual power are used competitively, war can be prolonged and intensified.
Vaiśampāyana describes two Brahmin figures locked in continual rivalry. In the same setting, the Devas kill the Dānavas who have assembled for battle, indicating an ongoing Deva–Asura war in which priestly competition forms an important background force.