Shloka 155
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
तानि षोडश देवीनां सहस्राणि नराधिप । बभूवुर्मानुषे लोके वासुदेवपरिग्रह:,नरेश्वर! वे अप्सराएँ मनुष्यलोकमें सोलह हजार देवियोंके रूपमें उत्पन्न हुई थीं, जो सब-की-सब भगवान् श्रीकृष्णकी पत्नियाँ हुईं
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tāni ṣoḍaśa devīnāṁ sahasrāṇi narādhipa | babhūvur mānuṣe loke vāsudeva-parigrahāḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Oh rey, aquellas dieciséis mil doncellas celestiales nacieron en el mundo de los hombres como dieciséis mil mujeres semejantes a princesas, y todas ellas llegaron a ser las esposas de Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), por designio divino.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s many marriages as a divinely grounded arrangement rather than mere indulgence, implying that relationships and social bonds, when connected to dharma and divine purpose, carry responsibility and sacred meaning.
Vaiśampāyana tells the king that certain celestial maidens (apsarases/devīs) took birth in the human realm as sixteen thousand women, and they all became consorts of Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa).