Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Yayāti in Amarāvatī-like Splendor: Devayānī Installed

Devanagari script

देवयान्या भुजिष्यास्मि वश्या च तव भार्गवी सा चाहं च त्वया राजन् भरणीयां भजस्व माम् //

Transliteration

devayānyā bhujiṣyāsmi vaśyā ca tava bhārgavī sā cāhaṃ ca tvayā rājan bharaṇīyāṃ bhajasva mām //

Translation

“I am Devayānī’s attendant (bondwoman), and I am under your control, O king. I am Bhārgavī, of Bhṛgu’s lineage; therefore, O king, you must maintain me as well—accept me.”

Word by Word

• devayānyāḥ: of Devayānī

• bhujiṣyā: handmaid/servant (bondwoman)

• asmi: I am

• vaśyā: subject to (one’s) authority/obedient

• ca: and

• tava: your

• bhārgavī: a woman of Bhṛgu’s lineage (Bhārgava)

• sā: she/that one (I)

• ca: also

• aham: I

• ca: and

• tvayā: by you/for you

• rājan: O king

• bharaṇīyām: to be maintained/supported

• bhajasva: accept/embrace/take as your own

• mām: me

Speaker

• Śarmiṣṭhā (addressing King Yayāti)

Entities Mentioned

• Devayānī
• Bhṛgu (Bhārgava lineage)
• King Yayāti

Tags

• Genealogy
• Yayati
• Devayani
• Royal duty
• Householder dharma

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to a dynastic narrative stressing social and ethical obligations within royal and household life.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It frames a king’s (and by extension a householder’s) duty of bharaṇa—supporting and protecting those who come under one’s care or authority, including dependents and those socially vulnerable.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-iconography, or ritual procedure is stated here; the verse is ethical-narrative, centered on protection/maintenance (bharaṇīyā) rather than architectural rules.