Shloka 4
Matsya Purana — Inquiry into Yayāti’s Story and the Kacha–Devayānī Episode
*शतानीक उवाच ययातिः पूर्वजो ऽस्माकं दशमो यः प्रजापतेः कथं स शुक्रतनयां लेभे परमदुर्लभाम् //
*śatānīka uvāca yayātiḥ pūrvajo 'smākaṃ daśamo yaḥ prajāpateḥ kathaṃ sa śukratanayāṃ lebhe paramadurlabhām //
Śatānīka said: “Yayāti—our ancestor, the tenth in descent from Prajāpati—how did he obtain the daughter of Śukra, who is exceedingly difficult to attain?”
FAQs
This verse does not address Pralaya; it opens a dynastic inquiry focused on Yayāti’s ancestry and a significant marriage connection to Śukra’s lineage.
It highlights the royal concern for lineage, legitimacy, and alliance-building through marriage—key themes in Purāṇic kingship where dynastic continuity and righteous succession underpin a king’s social order (rājadharma).
No Vāstu, temple-architecture, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; the focus is genealogical and narrative (how a rare marriage was attained).