Shloka 26

Devanagari script

दौष्कुलेया विशेषेण कथंचित्‌ प्रग्रह॑ गता: । बालभावाद्‌ विकुर्वन्ति प्रायश: प्रमदा: शुभे,'शुभे! जो दूषित कुलमें उत्पन्न होनेवाली स्त्रियाँ हैं, वे किसी तरह विशेष आग्रहमें पड़कर अपने अविवेकके कारण प्राय: बिगड़ जाती हैं (परंतु तुमसे ऐसी आशंका नहीं है)

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: dauṣkuleyā viśeṣeṇa kathaṃcit pragṛhaṃ gatāḥ | bālabhāvād vikurvanti prāyaśaḥ pramadāḥ śubhe ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Women born in tainted lineages, O auspicious lady, when they somehow fall—especially—into a state of obstinate attachment, are, through childish lack of discernment, for the most part led into moral distortion. Yet in your case, no such fear is implied.”

Word by Word

दौष्कुलेयाःwomen of bad lineage

विशेषेणespecially

कथंचित्somehow

प्रग्रहंrestraint; control; (here) a strong hold/insistence

गताःhaving gone; having fallen into

बालभावात्from childishness; due to immaturity

विकुर्वन्तिact perversely; become distorted; go astray

प्रायशःfor the most part; generally

प्रमदाःwomen

शुभेO auspicious one

अशुभेO inauspicious one (as a contrasting address/epithet)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that when a person—here framed as women of compromised lineage—falls into stubborn attachment or insistence, immature judgment can lead to ethical decline; it implicitly praises the addressed woman as an exception, emphasizing discernment and self-restraint as safeguards.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the episode, reports a general caution about moral vulnerability under obstinate attachment and immaturity, while simultaneously reassuring the addressed ‘auspicious lady’ that such suspicion does not apply to her.