Shloka 6

ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven

Devanagari script

पिबन्तीर्ललमानाश्व दिव्याभरणभूषिता: । (आसने प्रवरे दिव्ये सर्वाभरण भूषिते ।) उपविष्टां च ददृशे देवयानीं शुचिस्मिताम्‌,वे सभी दिव्य आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो पीनेयोग्य रसका पान और भाँति-भाँतिकी क्रीड़ाएँ कर रही थीं। राजाने पवित्र मुसकानवाली देवयानीको वहाँ समस्त आभूषणोंसे विभूषित परम सुन्दर दिव्य आसनपर बैठी हुई देखा

Transliteration

pibantīr lalamānāśva divyābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ | (āsane pravare divye sarvābharaṇa-bhūṣite |) upaviṣṭāṃ ca dadṛśe devayānīṃ śucismitām |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Adorned with celestial ornaments, the women were drinking and sporting in various ways. There the king beheld Devayānī—smiling with pure grace—seated upon a supremely beautiful, divine seat, itself richly decked with every ornament. The scene shows how royal attention is drawn to outward splendor and refined conduct, setting the stage for later moral tensions born of desire, status, and pride.

Word by Word

• {'pibantīḥ': "drinking (feminine plural present participle of √pā, 'to drink')", 'divya': 'divine, celestial', 'ābharaṇa': 'ornament, jewelry', 'bhūṣitāḥ': 'adorned, decorated', 'āsana': 'seat, throne-like seat', 'pravara': 'excellent, foremost', 'upaviṣṭām': 'seated (feminine accusative singular)', 'dadṛśe': 'he saw, beheld (perfect of √dṛś)', 'Devayānī': 'Devayānī (proper name)', 'śuci-smita': 'one whose smile is pure/bright

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Devayānī
• king (unnamed in this verse)
• divine ornaments (divyābharaṇa/sarvābharaṇa)
• divine seat (divya āsana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how external beauty, luxury, and refined demeanor can captivate attention and influence judgment. Ethically, it foreshadows how attraction to splendor and social rank may become a catalyst for later conflicts rooted in desire, pride, and the misuse of power.

What is happening in the narrative?

A king arrives at a place of leisure where women are drinking and playing. He notices Devayānī in particular, seated on an exquisite divine seat and adorned with ornaments, distinguished by her pure, gentle smile—an observation that prepares the narrative for his ensuing involvement with her.