Shloka 7
आदि पर्व — अध्याय ८३: ययाति-इन्द्र-संवादः तथा अष्टक-प्रश्नः
Yayāti–Indra Dialogue and Aṣṭaka’s Inquiry
देवयान्युवाच यद्येतदेवं शर्मिछे न मन्युर्विद्यते मम । अपत्यं यदि ते लब्धं ज्येष्ठाच्छेष्ठाच्च वै द्विजात्,देवयानीने कहा--शर्मिष्ठे! यदि ऐसी बात है; यदि तुमने ज्येष्ठ और श्रेष्ठ द्विजसे संतान प्राप्त की है तो तुम्हारे ऊपर मेरा क्रोध नहीं रहा
devayāny uvāca yady etad evaṃ śarmiṣṭhe na manyur vidyate mama | apatyaṃ yadi te labdhaṃ jyeṣṭhāc chreṣṭhāc ca vai dvijāt ||
Devayānī said: “If this is indeed so, O Śarmiṣṭhā, then my anger no longer remains. If you have obtained offspring from a twice-born man who is both elder and eminent, I will not hold resentment against you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can be relinquished when one believes a situation aligns with socially valued norms (here, legitimate progeny from an eminent ‘dvija’). It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension: personal resentment is negotiated through ideas of status, lineage, and perceived propriety.
Devayānī addresses Śarmiṣṭhā and states that if Śarmiṣṭhā has indeed borne a child by an elder and eminent twice-born man, then Devayānī’s anger subsides. The line occurs amid the fraught relationship between the two women, where issues of marriage, progeny, and honor drive conflict and reconciliation.